Rebellion
by Pyro Raptor77
Summary: Maybe she will understand. Maybe she will forgive me for my crimes, even if they cost her her happiness. Maybe she’ll have the strength to do what I cannot… I can only hope my mistakes won't bring to ruin the country we have worked so hard to keep intact.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **I know I haven't finished my other fanfic yet, but I randomly had inspiration for this one after reading _Hawksong _by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. It doesn't really have the same plot or anything, but the book inspired me to write this and I think it could be an awesome story, so yeah... here goes nothing!

Just so you know, this takes place in a HM universe where the country's government is a monarchy, and the female's inherit the throne. Just wanted to make that clear so there wouldn't be any confusion.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

_---_

_I can't believe this is happening. _

_I have just been forced to give away my unborn daughter's hand in marriage to the son of the mob boss. I can't really blame anyone but myself for the arrangement either. I had been the one who convinced my husband that we should borrow money from them in the first place. I hadn't counted on the very little business my bakery has attracted… and my husband's recently-started farm hasn't taken off yet. We needed more time, that was it. Then we could've paid them back. _

_Unfortunately, we didn't have the money, and they wouldn't give us the time. They were about to kill us, but by some cruel twist of fate their boss stepped in and saved us. He had somehow found out about my relationship to the queen, despite a lifetime's effort to hide it, and he used it against me. _

_He's not making me become queen and do what he says; no, that's too dangerous; instead he's forcing my daughter to marry his son so that his family will be in the new royal line. He didn't tell me his plans, but they are strikingly obvious. Eighteen years from now, when my daughter comes of age, she will marry his son, and then he will kill me. Not only that but he will kill the queen and her only daughter as well, so that her closest living relative will be my daughter. He'll likely have her change the laws for his benefit… He'll have complete control over her, and I'll be helpless to stop him, if I'm alive at all... _

_I won't even be able warn her. His spies are everywhere… I don't even feel safe in my own home. If she were to start displaying paranoia, which I'm sure she would, given the circumstances, then they would notice. And it would just be more painful for her if she struggled. I know I may seem contradictory saying so, but I don't want her to get hurt. What am I to do?_

_I fear I am completely helpless. Jack keeps telling me it's the only thing I could've done, but I think he knows it's a lie. After all, I could've just let them kill us... __Perhaps it would've been better if I'd let them end it before. If they'd have killed us, she wouldn't have to go through this… but I have a feeling the mob wouldn't have let me do so. And besides, I am not strong enough to end her life myself, let alone my own. None of this is her fault, after all._

_I think I will feel guilt every day when I see her smiling face, and every time she talks to me, I'll only hear accusations… how could I have let this happen?_

_I plan on giving this note to her in the future, so that maybe she will understand. Maybe she will forgive me for my crimes, even if they cost her her happiness. Maybe she'll have the strength to do what I cannot…_

_But enough of the scenarios. I have made my choice, and I must face the consequences. I can only hope that my mistakes won't bring to ruin the country we have worked so hard to keep intact over the years. _

_Cassandra… if you are reading this, then I am sorry, sorry that it has come to this… sorry that my mistakes will ruin your life. _

_With love, Mom. _

---

Kristen stared down in shock, a witness to her daughter kissing one of her friends on the cheek shamelessly, and causing the bandana-clad boy to blush profusely. Granted, she was nine and he was eleven, but the woman still thought this was a rather scandalous development. She sighed and supposed it was time to tell her, before she ended up falling in love with someone else.

"Honey, you're engaged. You can't be acting like that around other boys!" Kristen scolded, trying not to sound too harsh. Her daughter tilted her head up questioningly.

"I am, Mommy?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "I'm getting married?" Her eyes sparkled as she thought of having a huge white wedding. Her mother suppressed a sigh, knowing that her daughter's dreams couldn't be fulfilled on _her_ budget. _After all,_ she thought bitterly. _Just because I'm related to the queen doesn't mean she supports me financially!_

The woman thought about how she had tried so hard to hide her relationship to the queen from people all of her life, only to have it thrown in her face by the head of a mob, of all people. Well, she supposed it was more of a rebellion than a mob now, but she would always think of them as a bunch of dirty mobsters.

"Yes, dear. When you are older you can meet your fiancé, but until then you have to stop being such a flirt!" Kristen said, smiling down at her daughter. The little girl pouted, but was soon lost in thought at this new development. Kristen hid her discomfort, not appreciating that her daughter was so excited to marry a man who would probably change her life for the worse, thinking that it would be all her fault, not for the first time.

Suddenly the little girl turned to her companion, who had been listening in awkwardly. He didn't understand the concept of arranged marriages and thought it odd that his friend would be getting married to someone she didn't even know, and the bewildered expression on his face showed it.

"You hear that, Joe?" she said. "You need to stop flirting with me! I'm engaged, after all!" He gawked at her.

"I wasn't flirting with you! _You_ were the one who kissed _me!_" he cried out defensively. She glared at the older boy and turned up her nose, crossing her arms across her chest. He huffed, grabbed his little fishing pole and marched back to his house. Kristen sighed.

"Cassandra, there was no reason for _that_," Kristen scolded again. Cassandra looked up at her with big blue eyes, confused. "Remember what I told you about being polite. I'm raising you to be a lady." Cassandra curtseyed a little and gave a small apology and Kristen turned to lead her down the path back home.

Kristen mused about how differently she would have raised Cassandra if it had been a matter of choice. She decided that she wouldn't have raised her to be so proper, because she wouldn't have been raising her to be a queen at all, let alone one for someone else to control. She had neither told Cassandra or her brother Carl about their relationship to the queen, because she figured that if they didn't know then others couldn't find out. _Maybe_, she thought, _I would have been able to be myself in front of my family more often, instead of the proprietary snob that I am forced to be and allow my daughter to emulate. _

"So Mommy," Cassandra began, walking beside Kristen as they made their way back home. "Who's my… fee yawn say?" The girl contorted her face trying to pronounce the word, and Kristen chuckled.

"It's fiancé, Cassandra," she corrected, and Cassandra just nodded. "And you'll meet him soon enough." _At least, in my mind you will, _she added to herself. She didn't want to let her little girl go, especially given the circumstances, and she thought that the seventeen years she had her for wasn't long enough.

"Aw, but Moooooom…" Kristen sighed again, trying to decide what she would do with her inquisitive little girl.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but only if you're good." With that, Cassandra smiled and straightened up, beginning to walk with the dignity her mother had taught her to walk with, planning on being a perfect angel so she could find out who she was to be married to. Of course, Kristen wasn't planning on letting her know anytime soon, seeing as she really didn't know herself. She had only met him once, when Cassandra was born and his father had come to 'check up' on her, and had brought his son with him.

Kristen scowled as she remembered what was supposed to have been a happy night. The two had shown up at her house shortly after the doctor had left, with Kristen still in bed holding her baby. Kristen had given the older man a glare but had said nothing, not wanting to provoke him into taking her child sooner. His son trailed in after him almost unnoticeably. She couldn't help but soften her gaze as she looked at the young boy, who couldn't have been more than four years old. He hadn't looked too happy to be there and was frowning, staring at his shoes, so Kristen could only see the top of his blonde hair.

That was the night that the man had told her when the wedding would be; Summer 17th, a week from that day and eighteen years in the future. He had also told her that the two wouldn't meet until Summer of the year before, and though Kristen hadn't understood why, she had been grateful her daughter wouldn't have to deal with _his_ family for seventeen years. She had glanced again at the small boy that would be her daughter's husband, and he had looked up at her. His cold, blue eyes had shocked her when they had locked with hers, showing a raw emotion that Kristen had thought one so young shouldn't have been feeling; hate. Hate for whom, she couldn't have said, but she saw it as easily as if he had told her, and she had assumed that the hate was directed at her; that his father had already taught him his heartless ways. They had given her another warning before they left, leaving her even more angry than she had been when they had arrived.

Kristen already disliked the boy her daughter would marry, and, if he was anything like the other members of his family she had met, then she could say safely that, once she met him, she would hate him like she hated the rest of them.

As if on cue, a boy stepped out of the building across the street from Kristen's house. The sixteen year old cousin of Cassandra's fiancé gave Kristen a glare, and then moved his hand in a sweeping motion across his neck like a knife, reminding her of what would happen if she ever said anything about his uncle's antics. His expression remained neutral, almost bored, as he did so, and then he turned and walked away as if nothing had happened. It astonished Kristen that the boy's uncle would use him in such a way and wondered, not for the first time, if his son would act the same way, if not worse. A shudder ran up and down her spine, and she feared what the boy would do to her daughter, hoping that saving Cassandra in the first place hadn't been worse than going through with this.

Either way, the young man across the street was a constant reminder that she didn't have a choice any more.

---

**Author's Note: **So how do you all like it? Reviews appreciated! Though I'm probably going to continue this regardless of whether you guys like it or not. XD Thanks in advance to anyone who reviews!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This chapter was originally a lot longer, like, twice as long, but I decided to cut it in half. It's a little boring if you ask me, but it's kind of important to set up the story. Note that it is not in the same time period as the prologue.

---

Kristen stepped off the boat with her suitcase in hand, feeling anxious about her meeting with the man her daughter would soon marry. She could hardly believe that it'd already been seventeen years, and she had to fight hard to keep the tears that threatened to fall from her tired brown eyes at bay. She'd been to Mineral Town many times before to visit her friend Lillia, who she would be staying with while she was here. Kristen spotted the pink-haired woman at the end of the dock and waved, then started walking down the slippery planks to reach her, already hiding her grief with a false sense of happiness.

"Hello, Lillia!" she said, hugging her long-time friend. "Long time no see! Are you feeling well?" Lillia had an illness that her husband was currently trying to find a cure for, leaving her and her two kids to run his poultry farm by themselves. However, the woman could not be brought down by life and was as happy as could be.

"Much better, actually," Lillia replied. "Or you know my son wouldn't have let me come out here." She giggled and her blue-green eyes turned to the sandy blonde next to her. He just shrugged.

"I don't want you to get worse, Mom. I have to take care of you, you know," the young man said. Then he smiled and turned to Kristen, his glasses reflecting light into her eyes. "Hello, Mrs. Williamson. Would you like me to carry your things?" Kristen laughed and handed him the suitcase, thanking him politely.

"Rick, you know you can call me Kristen," she said, to which he just nodded. She suppressed a sigh, knowing that he knew he _could,_ but that didn't mean he _would_. She smiled at him.

_Now __**this**__ is the kind of man I'd like Cassandra to marry, _she thought irritably. _Polite without overdoing it, and such a hard worker!_ Suppressing another sigh, she glanced around, feeling like someone was missing. "Where's Popuri?" She questioned.

"Oh, she's in the Snack Shack," Lillia said with a small giggle. Kristen chuckled, understanding completely.

"So Kai's in town then?" Kristen asked, causing Rick to scowl at his rival's name. She looked over Lillia's shoulder at the building behind her, as if trying to catch a glimpse of the young couple. Lillia just nodded.

"You know she's infatuated with the boy." Rick gritted his teeth at this, though the hate in his blue-green eyes couldn't be seen due to the glare on his glasses. The man was highly overprotective over his family, especially his younger sister, and didn't trust Kai in the least, especially given his reputation of a ladies' man. He tried to hide his face behind his shoulder length curtain of hair, but Kristen noticed his irritation and decided to change the subject.

"What about you, Rick? Have you found yourself a lady yet?" she asked bluntly with a wink. He nearly gawked at her, forgetting his anger, but recovered before he could make a complete fool of himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, blushing slightly.

"Well, I…" he started, but was interrupted by the town's doctor, who had approached their little group. He was a tall man with black hair and dark, intelligent eyes, and though he was relatively young, he took his job quite seriously, which would explain exactly why he was here. Rick looked relieved at his impeccable timing.

"Lillia, you really should be getting back home. You've been outside for a few hours now," he said before turning to Kristen. "Hello, Kristen. I trust you've been well?" She nodded.

"Yes, actually. Things are going well on our end," Kristen replied with a smile, having perfected the lie after seventeen years of using it. "And you, Doctor?"

"I'm fine, ma'am. I've got my hands full with this one, who always seems like she doesn't want to take my medical advice," the Doctor said, referring to Lillia. She chuckled.

"You know that's not true, Doctor. I just can't stay cooped up in my house forever!" she stated. "Pardon the pun." Rick rolled his eyes and the Doctor continued to look seriously at Lillia, who chuckled at her own joke.

"Well, I'll not be the one to put your health on the line! Let's get going!" Kristen said, and they all agreed and started to head into town.

---

Despite her apparent excitement at being in Mineral Town, Kristen wanted nothing more than to get back on the ferry and leave. Knowing she couldn't do so, she stayed in Chicken Lil's with Lillia all day for two days straight, claiming that she didn't want Lillia to be lonely. However, she knew she couldn't stay in hiding forever. She had a meeting with her daughter's fiancé on the third night at the inn, which approached much more quickly than she would have liked.

Though she had looked for every excuse she could to be late for the meeting, she still found herself getting prepared at the appropriate time. She scowled and cursed her unshakable habit of being on time to everything even as she started to get ready to go. She changed into the red dress she'd brought for the occasion and then sat down in front of the mirror grudgingly. She brushed her brown hair absently, looking in the mirror and only seeing the shell of her former self. Inside, she was beaten and bruised, with much more wear and tear than showed on her skin. She'd been through things that no one ever should have to go through, and despite her intelligence, she couldn't prevent the catastrophe waiting to happen. She only wished she was wise in addition to these, but she was far from it. After all, she had given her daughter, who was third in line to the throne, to the head of a rebellion, and would probably end up destroying a lot more than what her daughter's life was worth.

She shook her head. No, nothing was more important to her than her daughter's life. Cassandra shouldn't have to pay for her mother's mistakes, though it seemed unavoidable that she would.

Everyone would.

She sighed and pulled her hair up into a neat bun and did her make-up, only wearing a little seeing as she would be in the presence of scoundrels anyway. She checked herself in the mirror again, disregarding how beautiful she actually was.

Though she was over forty now, she still looked quite young and had only a few wrinkles. Her hair was a dark brown with a few grays, probably brought about from her stress concerning her daughter, but she did her best to hide the offending hairs. She was tall and skinny with a slightly angular face that she shared with the rest if the royal family. She sighed and straightened her modest dress, clipped on a matching necklace and made her way downstairs.

"You look lovely!" Lillia exclaimed as she emerged into the living room, beaming at her.

"Thank you, Lillia," Kristen said with a smile. She glanced at her small gold watch. "I should be going. I'll see you when I get back." She stepped out the front door, dread consuming her every thought and seeping into every fiber of her body. She made her way down the cobblestone path effortlessly despite the fact that she was wearing three inch heels, though walking slowly so as to put off the inevitable meeting. She passed the winery, and soon she reached the Inn. It loomed over her menacingly in the fading sunlight, as if it would swallow her whole. She took a deep breath.

_Here goes everything,_ she thought as she entered the last place she wanted to be.

---

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little rushed... review if you want to... it would be appreciated. :D We meet the groom-to-be in the next chapter! Though I suppose you could've already guessed who it is... I suck at suspense. -.-'


	3. Chapter 2

Kristen's nose was assaulted by the smell of alcohol as soon as she stepped into the Inn. She fought the urge to crinkle her nose and glanced quickly around the room. Rick was at the bar with a brunette who Kristen couldn't put a name to, but neither of them noticed her as she came in. The red-headed girl behind the counter-Ann was her name, Kristen thought- smiled and waved at her and she returned the two gestures. There were some other people that she didn't recognize at one table and the couple from the winery at the other, but she saw no one who resembled the man she thought she was supposed to be meeting. She knew better to think he'd forgotten and sat down at the nearest table with a sigh.

She ordered a glass of water from Ann before beginning to stare the wall she was facing, thinking about what could possibly happen that night. She sighed mentally, wishing she didn't have to do this, but telling herself it was her own fault to begin with. She sat like this for quite awhile and still no one approached her. She sat up a little straighter when she heard the door open and footsteps approached where she sat-

-and then passed by her. She relaxed and glanced in the direction of the footsteps only to see a sulking brunette heading toward the stairs with his hands shoved in his pockets. She furrowed her brows, wondering who that could possibly be.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a large hand clasped her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned her head toward the man who now stood next to her, surprised to see a short, balding man with snow white hair instead of the tall brunette man she was expecting. She kept the shock from her face and studied him quickly, coming to the conclusion that this man must be related to the one she was thinking of. He had the same beady blue eyes and bushy eyebrows, though his were white, and the same intimidating look on his face, even if it was half hidden by a big moustache and a long white beard. It almost seemed like the man's hair had just migrated from the top of his head to his face, and she almost snickered at the thought.

"Kristen, I presume?" he said after a moment. She nodded, earning a grunt in response. He circled around the table and sat in the seat directly across from her, seeming almost indifferent that she even existed.

"Now where is that damn boy…" he muttered to himself, scanning the room behind her.

Suddenly there was a slam upstairs, followed by a muffled voice. Everyone in the room turned their heads towards the stairs, but returned to their meals when they saw who it was.

The boy who had appeared at the top of the stairs grumbled to himself as he made his way down them, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He had dark blonde hair (or maybe it was light brown?) that looked like many unsuccessful attempts were made at trying to tame it, and was a bit shaggy, covering the tips of his ears and hanging down to his eyebrows. He was wearing a black dress shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and black dress pants. A red tie was messily hung around his neck as if he didn't dress up often, and this was supported by the fact that it was tight across the chest. She could in no way claim he was a bad looking guy, and, if this was who she thought it was, she couldn't say it made her think any better of him.

The boy stalked over to their table and sat next to the old man. He didn't say anything; he just stared at the wooden table like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Well, now that we're all here," the old man started. "Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Saibara." He offered Kristen his hand and she shook it skeptically. "Kristen, this is Gray, your future son-in-law. Congratulations, you now have your own pain in the ass." Kristen couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at this, and glanced at Gray to see his reaction.

"Like you're any better," he said with a glare. He proceeded to fold his muscular arms across his chest, which earned him a scowl from Saibara.

"Don't do that boy, it's rude," Saibara said, and Gray dropped his arms back to his sides, unsure of what to do with them. Kristen was slightly puzzled, wondering why the man would care if his grandson was rude. After all, these were uncivilized members of a mob, right?

"So what's your little girl's name?" Saibara said, and Gray glared daggers at the table. Kristen thought that, if it had been any other situation, she would've chuckled at the conversation.

"Her name's Cassandra," she began, a small smile tugging at her lips. "But she isn't so little anymore. She'll be seventeen on the tenth."

"I take it she knows already?" Saibara questioned. Kristen nodded.

"Yes, for about eight years now." Gray looked up at the two with a shocked expression, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape, before he furrowed his brows and scowled, but he didn't say anything. Looking at Kristen like it was her fault, she could see that his eyes were overflowing with emotions; anger, hurt, betrayal…

Hate. Just like when she'd first met him. Only, this time, it was directed at her and his grandfather. She didn't understand. Shouldn't he feel… something else if his father's plans were finally going to be set into motion? Shouldn't he be excited?

"What's she like?" Saibara continued.

"She's… like me, I guess," Kristen smiled. "Stubborn, laid-back, determined, carefree… though I suppose all girls her age are carefree… she's happy almost all the time. You hardly ever see her without a smile. She's really… so hard to describe!" Saibara nodded, urging her to continue, and Kristen couldn't help but do so. For some reason that she couldn't understand, she was actually comfortable around this man, though she hated herself for it. "Cassandra's so kind. She always puts the needs of others before herself." She looked out at nothing in particular as she thought about her daughter, and she fought hard the tears that threatened to fall at the thought of her marriage.

"Sounds like the exact opposite of Gray," Saibara started. Gray raised an eyebrow at him. "He's my apprentice, wants to be a blacksmith, but he's lazy. Unmotivated. He thinks too much of himself, and is rather reckless. Has a temper, that one, and a short fuse at that. Disrespectful, irresponsible, and just plain-" Gray's hand slammed down on the table as he stood, rage added to the emotions projected in his light blue eyes.

"How can you talk about us like… like we're property or something? Don't we get a say in this?" he practically spat at them. "We're not animals! You can't just buy and sell us!" He turned to his grandfather. "And could you stop criticizing me for one day? _One day?_" With that he shoved his hands into his pockets and stormed off towards the stairs, turning a few heads, but he ignored them. Kristen looked at Saibara, unsure of what to do and now somewhat afraid for her daughter, and saw that he watched his grandson indifferently, as if he'd expected this. Almost as if… he'd _wanted_ it. A few things clicked in Kristen's brain at that moment.

"He doesn't know, does he?" she asked quietly, still thinking about what had happened and formulating a plan.

"Know about what?" Saibara asked, though Kristen thought she could see a small smile underneath his bushy moustache. She thought for a moment about how to respond.

"…His father." Saibara was definitely smiling now as he looked back at Kristen, though it wasn't a normal smile. It was calculating, full of cunning. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing Kristen was. Perhaps he'd been thinking this all along.

"Damian? No, he doesn't." Kristen felt the same calculating smile spread across her face, deciding that this man wasn't so bad after all.

**---**

**Author's Note: **So what do you guys think? I'm pretty content with how it's going. Review please!


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **From here on out it's going to be in first person. If you guys think I should put it back into third then tell me, but I don't think it reads as well. This one is Gray's p.o.v. right after he met Kristen. Enjoy!

---

I plopped down on my bed, furious about the 'meeting' I'd just experienced. I wasn't even a part of it, so why did I even have to be there? My roommate Cliff gave me a curious glance, which I ignored. Cliff was thankfully quiet and reserved, and chances were he'd let me be. I grabbed my UMA hat and shoved it down on my head, pulling it down so that it covered my eyes before crossing my arms, trying to send Cliff the subliminal message not to question me. Apparently, being the great friend he was, he didn't get it.

"Um…" Cliff started. I shot him a glare from underneath the brim of my hat and he stayed silent. He seemed like he didn't want to be beat up and thought that this would be a good time to get ready for bed. I watched his feet as he stood cautiously and went into the bathroom. There was a small click as he locked the door, and I sighed.

I didn't, no _couldn't _understand how anyone could do this. This was my life, after all, and my father shouldn't have been able to pick who _I_ had to spend the rest of _my_ life with! Who did he think he was, anyway? And then there was Gramps. Didn't he even care? The least he could've done was _tell_ me! After all, my fiancée had known for eight years! Since she was… nine? He mother had said that she was turning seventeen in a few days… I shivered at the thought. Not that I had anything against people with our age gap being married, but from what I could tell she still acted like a child. I was twenty years old, I'd be twenty one that winter, and I really, really didn't want to have to put up with a kid. How could anyone expect me to marry a child?

Let alone fall in love with one?

I literally growled at the thought and pulled my hat down further over my eyes and closed them, my anger increasing as I thought about the entire situation. If people thought I was angst-ridden before, they must really think so now… Well, I guess that's because I was. If there was one thing that Gramps was right about, it was that my fiancée and I were strikingly different, if the way her mother talked about her was any indication… I sighed and leaned back against the headboard, lost in thought.

I must've been laying like that for a while because when I opened my eyes Kai was standing over me waving his hand in my face.

"Earth to Gray, Earth to Gray! Come in, Gray!" he said. I smacked his hand and sat up from my uncomfortable position, and stretched my sore back and neck, coming to the conclusion that I had fallen asleep. "What's up? And don't tell me nothing because something is definitely up and I'm not going to quit bothering you until you tell me." I sighed. Kai could be such a _girl_ sometimes. It kind of scared me.

I pushed my hat back so that I could look at the tan traveler who I was not-so-proud to call my other roommate, and seeing that he was serious, I resigned. I knew Kai was just trying to help, being my friend and all, but did he have to be so annoying about it? I saw Cliff sitting on his bed on the other side of the room, looking at me curiously, and I thought that he'd probably said something to Kai if he knew something was bothering me and I'd been asleep when he came in. I wondered briefly how they didn't know about it yet and decided to put off telling them by asking about it.

"Because we, being part of the rumor mill ourselves, don't get told what's going on around here. And besides," Kai replied. "I've only been in town for a week." He gave me a genuine smile, but I could tell he knew more than he was letting on. After all, he was practically dating Popuri and she was the first to know about it. After me, of course. Cliff still looked as clueless as ever. I sighed again, sadness and frustration resurfacing as I told them about the day my grandfather had told me about my…er… relationship status.

---

"_WHAT?!" I yelled at my grandfather, who just watched me in his annoyingly uninterested manner. I scowled, narrowing my eyes in hate and disbelief at him. "What do you mean, I'm already engaged to someone?!"_

"_Exactly what I said, boy," he replied, still gazing at me distantly. "It really isn't that hard to understand." _

"_Do you ever think about what __**I**__ want?" I screamed, fingering the ring I'd finished that day in my pocket, my thoughts focusing on the girl I'd made it for before snapping back to the situation at hand. Who was__** he**__ to decide who I would be getting married to, anyway?_

"_Obviously," he said, not even bothering to look at me anymore, but instead focusing on the ore on the counter in front of him. "Otherwise you wouldn't even be here, would you? You'd still be in the city with your parents." I glared at him, not believing for a second that this was really my choice. My dad got everything he wanted, no matter what, and I figured that me being in Mineral Town was due to one of his hidden agendas. He had always been a cruel and mysterious man. _

_And I hated him. _

_Not wanting to argue about this with Gramps, I looked down, hiding my eyes under the brim of my hat, and blinked back tears. _

"… _Why didn't you tell me that I was promised to someone before I… went through all the trouble?" He knew without asking that I was talking about everything I'd gone through with Mary, from saying even a syllable to her to actually asking her to festivals (provided Gramps allowed me to go), and finally making the ring to propose to her with. _

"_I told you before you ended up engaged to more than one person at once," he said, and I thought I could see a grin tugging on his lips underneath his impossibly large mustache, just as I saw a contemplative gleam in his eyes despite his also impossibly large eyebrows. "And besides, you're thinking of it all wrong. You weren't promised to her, she was promised to you." My expression changed to one of brief shock before contorting in rage at his sexist views. _

"_Well thanks for keeping me from becoming a polygamist!" I nearly spat the words at him. "Did you ever think that maybe I wouldn't like this girl that you chose for me? That maybe I had somebody else in mind?"_

"_These plans were made long before you met Mary," he said quietly, looking up at me. I felt like punching him in the face, listening to him say her name, though he didn't say it in a particularly offending manner. "And besides, it was your father who set this up, not me." He shrugged and returned to the ore once again, leaving me to wallow in my rage. _

"_How long, then?" I said, matching his subdued tone.. Gramps looked up at me and raised an eyebrow, silently scolding me for not using a complete sentence or something. He was so old fashioned. And annoying._

_But somehow better than my dad. _

"_How long have I been engaged?" I yelled, my volume growing with my anger. Gramps thought for a moment before, once again, turning back to the ore. I hated how he acted like his work was more important than me. _

"_Oh, say…around fifteen years? I think you were four at the time…" He scratched his bald head as if I'd just asked him about when I first started walking. I pounded my fist on the counter, causing him to look at me angrily. _

"_And in seventeen damn years, you didn't think to tell me?" I felt the tears swimming at the corners of my eyes, but I held them back, refusing to cry in front of this demon of a man. Did he even care for me at all? _

"_It wasn't relevant," he replied, standing. "And you will not talk to my like that, boy! I'm your grandfather, whether you like it or not!" I growled in frustration and turned away to leave. I swung the door open like I had a thousand times before to see Popuri across the street, watching in what she considered a discreet way, quickly turning away to look like she was feeding the chickens or something. Great, that meant she had heard at least part of the argument and the news would spread like wildfire throughout the town. _

"_She'll be here in a few weeks, so find a better attitude or she won't be able to stand you either!" Gramps yelled out the door after me. I slammed it shut and strode down the road, passing by Jack's farm and heading to the library. At least this way Mary would hear the news from me and not some gossip-addicted fool like her mother._

_Damn, I hated my father! He'd put me through all sorts of shit growing up, and he was never around unless it came to putting me 'in line.' He hadn't treated my mother very well and he'd even given up his only son instead of raising me himself. And now he got to choose my wife?! I definitely thought I had enough justification to hate the bastard, but all I could do was sulk and go along with it. Even though I didn't like it, I knew that arranged marriages in our country were the law, and unless my parents or my fiancée's parents wanted to back out, my fiancée and I would just have to go with it. I wondered briefly if my wife-to-be was as upset as I was when she found out. _

_Of course, her family probably wasn't as dysfunctional as mine, and they'd probably told her much sooner and she had probably coped with the idea by now. _

_I sighed as I realized that I'd lost. The only time I'd ever given up on something in my life, and it had to be something as delicate as who I would spend the rest of my life with. _

---

Both of my roommates, not to mention my only friends in this Goddess-forsaken town (unless you count Mary), stayed silent for the entirety of my brief tirade. I looked at them expectantly, as if they could've thought of something that I hadn't to get me out of this mess.

"When's she supposed to get here?" Kai asked. I scowled and glared at him. "I mean, when're the 'few weeks' up?" I thought for a moment. The lady downstairs- Kristen, I thought her name was- said that her daughter's birthday was on the tenth. Today was the seventh, and I'd found out about this… around a week ago, maybe more. That all meant… how the hell was I supposed to know what it meant? I was a blacksmith, not a mathematician!

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" I snapped. Kai ignored my irritability and stared off at nothing in particular.

"… So you told Mary already, right?" Cliff asked. My heart practically stopped beating and my anger fled from my body at the sound of her name. I took my hat off and pushed my hair back before putting it back on again.

"Yeah," I said sullenly. Cliff nodded slowly from where he still sat on his bed, his blue eyes, a few shades darker than my own, oozing sympathy. I stared at the floor. "She was… upset. But the only thing she could say was… was that it meant I'd cheated on my fiancée." I looked back up to see Cliff was utterly shocked by this and was stunned silent as Kai turned to me with both eyebrows raised.

"You mean you slept with her?" he asked. I swear I could've punched the fool right in the face for saying that.

"No," I said instead, crossing my arms over my chest. "I guess she has a looser definition of 'cheating' then you, huh, Kai?" Kai shrugged his tanned shoulders at me before looking up at me with mischievous brown eyes.

"Kissing isn't really cheating. Otherwise actors would be cheating all the time, wouldn't they?" he said, earning a sigh from Cliff. "Neither is-"

"Anyways!" Cliff cut in, not wanting to hear Kai's other definitions of not-cheating. "So you met her mom downstairs, then?"

"Oh, is _that_ who that was?" Kai asked. I rolled my eyes. "She was pretty, for being a mom, anyways." I groaned and Cliff slapped his forehead. Kai seemed oblivious to us as he thought Goddess-knows-what about my fiancée... and her mother. Ugh.

"Yes, that's who she was. You think random women come into town to see my grandfather?" I said before Kai could continue, making a face. Kai laughed. "Don't answer that." I added, seeing the gleam in his eyes. I turned back to Cliff, who had seen me leave to go meet up with Gramps and Kristen downstairs earlier. I'd unintentionally snapped at him because I had been in a bad mood, to put it mildly, and hadn't told him what I was doing or why I was dressed up when he'd asked.

"Yeah, I sat and listened to them 'discuss' us and what we're like and stuff," I said with disgust, like the words left a bitter taste in my mouth. "They were talking about us like we were pets or something. I didn't like it, so I came back up here." Cliff looked a little worried, probably because he knew I hadn't just left, but had probably given a piece of my mind to them first. He was right, though I would've given _all_ of my thoughts on the matter if that woman hadn't been there.

At that moment, there was a knock at our bedroom door. Looking at the clock, I saw it was nearly two in the morning. Who could possibly want to talk to any of us at two in the morning? Kai jumped up to answer it, which was fine by me, seeing as I didn't want to deal with people at the moment. And because I didn't want to deal with people, Murphy's Law stated that it _had _to be for me.

"Hi Ann!" he said enthusiastically. I rolled my eyes, and without even looking at him knew he was giving her that 'charming' smile he gave all the girls. He was probably about to hit on her, but she obviously wasn't in the mood for it and cut him off.

"Listen, I just came up here to give Gray a message from Saibara. Is that alright with you, lover boy?" she replied irritably. Kai turned to me.

"Hey Gray!" he shouted as if I hadn't heard everything myself. I had already gotten up and started towards the door but he insisted on telling me what was up anyway. "Looks like one of your many lady friends are here to see you!" He winked at me. "Stop hogging them all or the rest of us will end up all aloooone!" This earned a glare from me and a slap in the back of his bandana-clad head from Ann. He gaped at Ann, rubbing the back of his head, and backed away from the door to let me take his place.

"What?" I said, offering the girl no greeting, leaning against the door frame and looking down at the short redhead bitterly. I didn't think I would want whatever message it was she was about to give me, and I thought subconsciously that maybe if I glared at her hard enough she would run away or something before telling me what Gramps had said.

Unfortunately, I had no such luck.

"Saibara wanted me to tell you that _she'll_ be here on the seventeenth," she said calmly, completely unfazed by my coldness to her. She raised an eyebrow at me inquisitively with tired blue eyes. "Who's 'she'?" I rolled my eyes, not really wanting to go through this again, and wondering why she hadn't heard about it. She was in on the gossip loop, wasn't she? There's no way Popuri hadn't mentioned it to anyone... after all, it'd been over a week! I returned my attention to the girl in front of me and debated on how I should answer her question.

"Ask Popuri," I replied. "Goodnight." See? I wasn't completely rude.

"But-" I cut her off before she could argue by slamming the door in her face. Yeah, I wasn't rude. I was a complete gentleman if I ever saw one. I heard her stomp downstairs as I walked back to my bed. I threw off my tightly-fitting dress shirt that my grandfather had insisted that I wear, kicked off my shoes and took off my pants before climbing into bed, putting my hat on the table. The other two, taking the hint that I didn't want to talk about it any more, did more or less the same, and Kai turned off the light on his way to bed.

"'Night, Graaaaaay," Kai said in a teasing tone. I threw my shoe in his general direction and heard an 'oof', and a satisfied smile crept across my face as I drifted off to sleep for the second time that night.

---

All sorts of scenes played through my head that night. It started out pretty normal, actually. I dreamt that Gramps had let me be and that I'd proposed to Mary like I planned. She'd hugged me and said yes, and then the scene switched to the wedding. She was so beautiful in her long white dress, and even in my dream I felt awkward in my tux, and for a moment I thought that it was my real life and I'd dreamt everything about me being engaged to Cassandra.

But then a girl who looked like Kristen, except younger, burst through the doors angrily, right after Pastor Carter had asked if there were any objections, like they did in the movies. But there wasn't going to be a pronouncement of love or anything like that; Cassandra stormed over to me yelling about how I'd cheated on her. The whole church gasped and I was basically exiled from the small town…

Then my dream switched. Now I was walking down the street holding hands with a girl who was skipping along beside me. She only reached my waist and had looked kind of childish, and for a minute I thought she was my kid. But then I saw the ring on her left hand, and when I looked at mine, I saw I wore one to match. I tried to stop walking and wrench my hand free, but she was too strong and dragged me unwillingly down the cobblestone path, giggling and laughing the entire time.

Once again my dream changed and I found myself on the edge of the dock at the beach. What was I doing at the beach, anyways? I hated the beach. It didn't take long for me to realize that there was a storm brewing and the waves were crashing against the dock loudly, as if they were trying to reach me. I was wearing the same ring from the last dream, though I was a few years older, it looked like. Suddenly I heard my name being called and I turned around to see the angry figure of my wife, her hair billowing around her as she ran towards me, but I ignored her and turned back to the raging ocean. She shouted angrily at me, much like Gramps did on a daily basis, which really ticked me off. Then I hurled myself off the end of the dock, my hat flying off my head during the jump and washing back up to shore. I swam out to sea, and looking back I saw my wife standing on the shore with my hat, yelling something about me being worthless, but I couldn't hear her because a wave crashed down on me and caused me to tumble into the darkness.

"_Gray!_"

I sat up in my bed, sweating and panting, to see Kai and Cliff standing on either side of me.

"Are you alright?" Kai said. I glared up at him. Did it _look_ like I was alright?

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. "Just had a nightmare…" The two men looked at each other incredulously, then looked back at me.

"Are you serious? In all the years we've been roommates, you've never, _ever_ acted like _that,_" Cliff said. Kai nodded.

"Must've been a doozy, huh?" he said with a grin. "I mean, you should've seen yourself! Rolling around and muttering stuff…" He trailed off at my threatening gaze and I stood up, my bare feet hitting the hardwood floor with a thud. He looked down at me-only a few inches, mind you- with an eyebrow raised and crossed his arms, apparently waiting for an explanation.

"Yeah, a real 'doozy'," I mumbled. I walked over to my dresser and grabbed some clothes before heading into the bathroom, but Kai followed closely. Cliff had left, probably to go to work. Which, I realized, I was late for.

"She scares you that much, huh?" Kai said thoughtfully. I stopped walking and glared at him.

"No." He grinned at me, and I immediately didn't like where this was going. I started rushing off to the bathroom, hoping to slam the door shut and start the water before whatever it was he was planning could work itself out in his mind. I managed to get through the door, but Kai put his foot against it before I could close it.

"I'll just come with you, then. I can protect you from the little lady." He offered me a smile and a wink. I groaned, wondering what he could possibly mean by that, but I didn't have the time or the patience to argue with this man so I decided to go along with it. Despite what he was implying I knew he wouldn't do anything _too _horribly wrong. Well, I hoped so anyway.

"…Fine." He smiled at me and walked away, whistling cheerfully and swinging his keys around on his finger, obviously pleased with himself. I shut the door and leaned against it, sliding my hand down my face in frustration.

Musing over the situation, I thought that it might not be so bad having Kai there with me when I met my future wife. I sure could use the support, after all. Of course, he could also make things a bit… awkward, if he wanted to. I wondered what he was planning but couldn't really think of anything and gave up with a sigh, content to tell myself that he was just offering to be there for me as a friend.

After all, what could possibly go wrong?


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Just so there is no confusion, this is the same day as the last chapter. Sorry about the slow update. Well, I hope you like it!

---

"Cassie, I really don't see why you should have to go through with this," my childhood friend said _again_. He had probably said that every day for the past season, at least. I wondered briefly if he ever got tired of it before he continued. "You don't even know the guy!" I didn't even glance up from packing a suitcase, having already argued against this statement before.

"Yes, Joe, but you know Mom," I replied, brushing a loose strand of brown hair out of my face. "She knows best. I'm sure she wouldn't have hooked me up with this guy if he wasn't something special." Glancing up at my best friend, I saw the hurt in his eyes, and I felt a little guilt that I'd be leaving him in a few days. "And besides, there's something-"

"'-so romantic about arranged marriages' yeah I know." He quoted the argument I'd used multiple times, though I have to say I usually said it with much more eloquence. I giggled at his interpretation, and Joe seemed to zone out for a second as I continued packing my suitcase.

"Fine," he finally said after coming back to the present. He took off his bandana and ran his fingers through his hair, which he usually only did when he was thinking about something. I continued folding clothes and packing my suitcase, though now I was watching him carefully out of the corner of my eye. "But have you ever thought about… who you would marry if you, you know, had the choice?" He added quietly, the first time he'd ever said such a thing. I looked up at him, my face showing only a fraction of the shock that I was feeling. What was he trying to imply, anyway? He started tying his bandana back on so I couldn't see his face, keeping me from seeing how he was feeling. I tapped my chin, thinking, and then I shrugged.

"Not really," I finally replied. "I can't imagine what it's like having to choose. It seems so much easier to have someone else choose for you!" I smiled at him, but he just dropped his arms to his sides and looked to the floor, heaving a frustrated sigh.

"But what if it doesn't work out? Then what?" he started, looking up at me in a distraught manner. It almost seemed like… he was pleading with me. "Arranged marriages require parents' consent for divorce, you know, so you-"

"I know, I know," I interrupted. "But my parents' marriage was arranged, and they are perfectly happy with each other."

"Yeah, but that's not the same as being in love!" I looked at him in shock as his hands flew up to his mouth. He flushed and his warm brown eyes widened, and I knew he hadn't meant to say that.

It didn't mean I wasn't going to make him feel bad about saying such things. I turned my back to him after shooting him a glare, and then I continued packing my things. He knew very well how touchy I was on this subject and he had actually defended me on the point before with other people in the village who disapproved of arranged marriages. Way out here in Flower Bud Village, arranged marriages were growing less popular, I supposed, but they were still common in the cities, which was probably why they were still enforced by law. Meaning, if your parents arranged a marriage for you, you had to go through with it, whether you liked it or not, unless your parents backed out for you.

"Sorry…" Joe said, but I didn't turn around. I was kind of hurt that he hadn't told me he didn't approve of arranged marriages- I'd always thought he just didn't like the fact that I hadn't actually been introduced to my fiancé, or that I was leaving Flower Bud- but I was also touched that he cared so much at the same time.

"I guess I'll go then…" he said sadly, and I heard him stand up and slide his feet into his shoes. Looking over my shoulder, I saw him shuffle slowly towards the door. I felt a smile creep across my face; I just couldn't stay mad at him. He glanced back at me sadly, but then saw the smile on my face and mirrored it with his own. He ran back over to me and shoved me lightly before both of us burst out laughing, and he knew that all was forgiven, though he scolded me for making him feel bad unnecessarily.

After some more packing, I made lunch for the both of us. Dad was out in the fields working, so I put some in the fridge for him to have later, and wrote him a note telling him where I was going.

"I told Carl I'd help him out today," I said as we stepped outside of my house. Carl was my older brother who worked at the Café, and, seeing as I was planning on opening up my own bakery like Mom, I often helped out there, especially when Mom was away like she was at the time.

"Yeah, I need to get back to work," Joe said. "It was supposed to be a thirty minute break…" He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck and I crossed my arms.

"Joe, you really ought to be more responsible." He offered a shy smile as an apology, but I just shook my head. "Well, good luck dealing with Woody. I know how angry he gets." I paused and tapped my chin in thought. "Kurt probably won't be too happy with you either."

"Kurt's never happy with anybody," Joe replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now, Woody… Woody I'm afraid of. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Provided Woody lets you out any more!" I laughed. "Bye Joe, talk to you later."

"Bye!" He turned and practically ran to the carpenter's as I made my way to Moonlight Café, where Carl would be waiting for me.

---

As it turns out, I made it to the Café earlier than I thought, so I went to the beach to watch the sunset instead. The beach was very nearly one of my favorite places, especially at this time of day when the sun was casting it's pallet of colors over the ocean and causing it to sparkle dazzlingly. It's where I liked to go when I had to think, and I certainly had a lot of thinking to do.

I was sad that I would be leaving Flower Bud. I'd lived there all my life, and most of my friends lived there and didn't plan on moving. I suppose if I had had my choice, I wouldn't have moved either, but life beckons. It's not like I wouldn't be able to come back. After all, Mineral Town was only a few hours by boat from here at most. I could come visit my friends any time I wanted.

Mom had gone to Mineral Town a few days before to meet up with my fiancé and his parents. She would be back soon, and then she would tell me who he was. She'd never told me his name, but I held her to her promise that she'd tell me if I was good. Even if that promise was nearly ten years in the making. When I'd questioned Dad on the subject, he told me my mother would kill him if he said anything, smiling in that playful manner of his, and no matter how much I pried, he would give me absolutely no information, not even a little hint.

So I waited anxiously for my mother to return, and soon after to actually meet the man my parents had chosen for me.

I was already mostly packed, though I didn't really have much. I had the nice clothes that my mom had bought or made me; they were all sophisticated, which had bugged me at first but now I was used to it. I had some older clothes that I wore when I went around the village so that my 'nice' clothes wouldn't get dirty, but Mom said there was no need for that in Mineral Town.

I sat on the beach wondering what Mineral Town was like, watching the lone dolphin that often visited there play by itself in the water. I wondered if it had more people than Flower Bud, and if the people acted different because there were more of them, or if it wasn't that much bigger and was a town in which every one knows everyone else's business. I wondered where I was going to stay.

But most of all, I wondered about my fiancé. I wondered what he looked like, what he liked to do, if he would like me, if he was friendly, outgoing, introverted, obnoxious, sophisticated, lazy, and a plethora of other adjectives before I sighed, deciding that wondering about such things were pointless because I didn't even have a clue to go on.

"Heya, Cassie," a familiar voice said, and a blonde boy wearing a vest, a bow tie and black dress pants plopped down in the sand next to me. I smiled up at my brother politely because I knew he hated that, and as his little sister it was my job to do things that he hated.

"Hello Carl, how are you today?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and hit me gently on the arm.

"Don't give me that polite crap. Save it for the customers," he replied. It really annoyed him that I had to be all proper while he could do whatever he wanted, but Mom always said it was because I was a lady, and no matter how hard she tried Carl could never be a gentleman. Apparently she'd made many failed attempts at turning him into one, and still he remained the bubbly, somewhat obnoxious aspiring chef that we all knew and loved. Whatever the case, he certainly wasn't rude, so Mom could at least be proud of that achievement.

"So what are you doing out here?" Carl asked, leaning back on his palms. I rested my chin on my knees and continued watching the dolphin swim by itself near the dock. He knew quite well that this was my thinking place, and this was his way of asking what I was thinking about.

"Just enjoying the sunset," I replied, feeling the urge to be difficult. He cast a sideways glance at me, which I pretended not to see, and I felt a smile creep across my face. "You know, the usual."

"This is about your hubby, huh?" Now it was my turn to glance at him, though my face had turned into the perfect picture of indifference. One thing I have to say I like about being 'proper' is that it sure did teach me how to hide my emotions, and I even kept the threatening blush from my face with a little bit of effort.

"Actually, it's about my fiancé, seeing as I'm not married and I don't have a 'hubby', as you so elegantly put it," I said with dignity. "I was just wondering what he's like, is all." I paused. "And I was wondering about Mineral Town. I'm not even sure where I'm going to stay as of yet."

"I wouldn't worry about it that much if I was you. Mom's probably setting that up right now," he said with a huge smile. "Now what are you really thinking about?" He asked. With a sigh of defeat, I resigned to telling him what I was thinking, because I knew how stubborn he would be until I did. Besides, no matter how good my mask of indifference or politeness ever was, I could never hide anything from Carl, so I let the mask fall away for now.

"Well I… I was just worried that the people there wouldn't like me," I said, and Carl frowned as he listened intently. "And that maybe my fiancé won't like me. Then what would happen? I couldn't just ask Mom to pull me out of it! She'd be heartbroken and-"

"You're being ridiculous," he said gently. "How could anyone not like you? You're so nice!"

"Blue doesn't like me," I pointed out, which was… close enough to the truth.

"I don't think he counts. He's anti-social and doesn't like anybody. That's like saying Kurt doesn't like you; they're both grouches who don't like people. And besides," he continued with a smile. "They never _said _they don't like you. They're… indifferent." Carl wasn't about to give up, obviously, and continued to smile at me hugely. "Popuri likes you and _she's _from Mineral Town."

"That's one person," I said dismissively. He sighed and looked out at the sunset for a moment, and I listened to the waves crashing against the shore as I waited for him to continue.

"I can understand you worrying about him not liking you though," Carl added quietly. "You're right about one thing; there's no way for us to know if you two will get along. After all, you were paired up before you were born." He pursed his lips and looked up at the darkening sky for a moment before continuing. "I know this sounds kind of cruel, but… I'm kind of glad that my fiancée died when I was little. This way I can choose for myself." I looked at him and nodded, understanding his need to choose for himself and agreeing that it was a cruel statement at the same time.

We watched the sun sink over the water, turning the sky a myriad of colors before disappearing completely, sitting in companionable silence. I couldn't say that Carl's last words were especially comforting, but I did enjoy his big brother moments. He would always be there for me if I needed him, and I felt that that kind of support was really what I needed at that moment. Thinking this, I looked over at him, the sun creating a kind of halo on his curly, dirty blonde hair and reflecting off of his brown eyes, which stared thoughtfully into the distance. It struck me once again how different we looked, seeing as I had brown hair and blue eyes. About the only trait we shared was the uncanny tallness that seemed to run in our family. With a small shake of my head, I brought my thoughts back to the previous conversation.

"Thanks," I whispered. Startled out of his thoughts, his head jerked toward me and he blinked a few times, looking a little shocked before grinning goofily at me.

"No problem," he said as he stood and offered me his hand to help me up. "Now let's get to work! The customers aren't going to feed themselves!" I nodded and offered a small smile, which he accepted and countered with one of his own. Then we started to go to the Café for what I realized would be one of the last times before I started my new life.

---

Before I knew it, Mom had returned, looking rather worn out from her trip. I tried not to seem too eager when she got back, and avoided asking anything except 'how was your trip?' all day. I waited patiently for her to bring up my fiancé, which she didn't, and when she went to bed early I huffed off to my room, followed by Carl, who shut the door behind me before bursting out laughing. I gathered all of my composure and tried to look as indifferent as I could when I looked back at him, watching as he bent over with his hands on his knees to support himself from laughing so hard. I crossed my arms and raised a thin eyebrow, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Aha… I love Mom sometimes," he said, wiping a tear from his eye as he straightened up, smiling at me.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"She avoided talking about one certain aspect of her trip, if you know what I'm saying. She's totally torturing you!"

"She is not," I replied. "She's just tired and doesn't want to talk about it yet. Maybe she'll tell me on my birthday. Which is in two days, in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't. But you know it's true. She doesn't want to tell you."

"She wants it to be a surprise."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"I will." There was an awkward pause as I realized what I'd just said, but I just turned around and strode to my dresser like it didn't happen. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to bed now."

"Of course, m'lady. Sweet dreams." He smirked as he exited my room and I sighed. He was right, but I'd never admit it. Ever. As I got ready for bed, and even as I tried to fall asleep, I hatched plans to find out about my fiancé without directly asking about it.

But I knew Mom was too smart for that.

So after puzzling over it for what felt like forever, I decided that I'd just come out and ask it in the morning, and I smiled to myself.

_That'll show you, Carl,_ I thought.

---

"Well that worked out nicely," Carl said as we walked to the Café. I'd just attempted to pry the information out of my mother and failed epically. He practically skipped as we walked down the road, being his happy self. "I actually didn't think you'd bring yourself to ask. You passive little thing, you."

"I'm not little, Carl," I said, which was true. I was nearly as tall as he was, after all. "And what makes you say I'm so passive?"

"Oh, you're passive," was the reply. "Since when have you ever been openly assertive about anything?" I racked my brain for an answer but, much to Carl's delight, couldn't come up with one.

"I'm going to see Joe," I said defiantly, but Carl just grinned at me.

"I wonder what your fiancé's gonna do when he meets Joe? He's probably gonna be jealous." I nearly gawked at Carl's statement as he continued. "After all, you guys are practically inseparable, and you did kiss him."

"That was once!" I snapped, my composure broken. "On the cheek! When I was nine!"

"Aw, let's not be mean about it! You'll break his poor little heart!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I didn't know why, probably because Mom wouldn't answer my questions, but Carl was really getting on my nerves today, and if he didn't stop with his little mind games-

"Well he's obviously in love with you." The statement, a small, simple, matter-of-fact statement, caused me to stop in my tracks and stare at Carl. _Joe_ was in love with _me?_ But… he was my best friend!

"What?" Real intelligent, Cass. Good job.

"You mean you didn't know?" Carl asked, turning around and looking at me like I didn't know the tooth fairy wasn't real. I shook my head slowly. "Wow, you're pretty oblivious, aren't you? You must be living in your own little world not to notice."

"How would you know, anyway?" I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly, fighting hard to regain my composure.

"_Everybody_ knows. Except you, I guess." He tilted his head at me like a puppy before continuing. "You really didn't know?" I shook my head. "Well, he's only liked you since… forever. Geez, girl, wake up and smell the coffee!" After I just stood there for a moment, Carl shook his head. "You still gonna go see him? Don't blow him off just because you know now. He's still your best friend. And besides, you're leaving in, like, a week. He'll miss you."

"Why wouldn't he tell me, though?"

"Because, Cassie, you're engaged. You don't go around professing your love to someone who's engaged." I nodded, because that part actually made a lot of sense. Too much sense, even.

"Gosh Carl," I said sarcastically. "Stop being insightful. It's creeping me out." He grinned and walked away, and I headed for the beach. I had some serious thinking to do.

---

"Hey Cass!" boomed a familiar, excited voice. I didn't need to turn my head to see that it was Joe who just plopped down beside me, much as my brother had a few days before. I turned to smile at him, but then remembered what Carl told me and blushed, so I looked forward again, hiding behind a curtain of long brown hair.

"Hi," I muttered sheepishly. What was wrong with me, anyways? Just try and act normal Cassie, just like Carl said…

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning forward, trying to see around my face around my hair. I quickly smiled as sincerely as I could at him.

"Nothing," I replied. Then I thought for a moment. "Well, besides that I'm leaving in a week, you know… wait… today's my birthday!" I smacked my forehead and mentally kicked myself, unable to believe that I'd forgotten that it was my birthday with all the commotion going on.

"You mean you forgot?" Joe said, raising an eyebrow at me curiously. I gave him an embarrassed smile, not even bothering to try and act polite or indifferent around him. He'd be able to tell what I was feeling anyway. He laughed at me for a moment.

"Nobody said happy birthday to me!" I pouted momentarily and he looked slightly distressed.

"I didn't forget! I was just about to tell you happy birthday, but then it looked like something was wrong… by the way, what was wrong?" I shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm just nervous about leaving. I mean, I've lived here my entire life. I don't think I've ever left." He nodded in understanding. "It's just… sad, you know? But happy at the same time, because I'm getting married and starting a whole new life all my own." I watched him carefully for any indication that he did actually like me, and, lo and behold, just like Carl had said, I noticed all the little signs; he looked down at his hands, twiddled his thumbs, and shifted on the soft sand much like I had. Not to mention his overall expression was that of sadness. However when he looked up at me, he only showed complete and utter confidence and support. I could hardly believe it, but I didn't let anything show on my face.

"It's completely understandable," he said. "And we're all happy for you. You just have to promise to come and visit, ok?" I smiled and nodded, and he beamed back at me. There was companionable silence for a moment, during which I listened to the relaxing sound of the gulls and the waves. I leaned back on my hands and closed my eyes, relishing the moment.

"I'll miss you, you know," Joe said quietly after a minute. I opened my eyes and looked at him, but he refused to meet my eyes.

"I'll miss you too," I replied just as quietly. He looked up at me, and I felt like his eyes were searching mine for something. I didn't know what it was, but he seemed satisfied and gave me a small smile. I fought the blush that threatened to spread across my face under his gaze. "I'll call you ok? Right when I get there and whenever I get the chance."

"That's not very specific! Once a week, at least, alright?" His smile broadened.

"Alright. I'll call you right when I get there and at least once a week. Deal?" I held out my hand for him.

"Deal." He grabbed my hand and shook it. "Now, let's go get them smoothies!" He stood and helped me up as I nodded in agreement. "Last one there has to buy!" He took off running in the direction of the Café, and I was quick to follow. I couldn't help but feel like a little kid again, racing my best friend to the Café like we'd always done. Of course, he let me win so that he could buy. I'd never understood why he'd done that before, but now it was strikingly obvious.

"No, I'm buying. You let me win!" I protested, slightly out of breath.

"I'm buying. It's your birthday after all!" Finding no argument for that, I gave in, and we caught our breath before entering the Café.

"Happy Birthday!" thundered what sounded like a million voices after we opened the door. I was momentarily too shocked to respond and stood there for a moment until Joe nudged me through the door. I continued gawking until I spotted my mom looking disapprovingly at me. I snapped my jaw shut and straightened up, earning a snicker from Joe. I was swarmed by at least twenty people wishing me happy birthday and heard some music start up, and not the regular calming blues music, either. Now it was rock music, and people started dancing after they dispersed from their giant circle around me.

"Well that was a mess," I said to Joe, who just laughed. He saw my mother approaching and said he'd talk to me later before going to talk to Katie.

"Happy Birthday, Cassandra," my mother said to me with a smile. I thanked her as she kissed my forehead. "I can hardly believe that seventeen years have gone by so fast." Oh great, she was going on a mom rant. I hated it when she did that. "In a week you're moving to Mineral Town, and in a year you're getting married… oh, how time flies. But, Cassandra, you have to remember where you came from and who you are. No matter what happens, always do what feels right." I nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise." She hugged me in a rare display of affection that startled me, and I froze momentarily before hugging her back. She pulled away and looked me over briefly, and I fought the urge to shift under her gaze. I knew that my hair and clothes were probably a bit windblown from the run here, and she seemed to notice. She shook her head.

"And really, Cassandra, try not to act like a child. Your fiancé _is _four years older than you." With that, she smiled at me and walked away before I could ask any questions.

_Well, now I know my fiancé is twenty one,_ I thought blissfully.

I spent the majority of the evening with Joe, and occasionally Carl, when he could get some down time. My mom mainly mingled with the few other adults that came, and, all in all, the party was pretty mellow. There were minimal decorations, but the music got everybody dancing. Joe even convinced me to dance with him for a little bit. My mom eyed us suspiciously, though, so we resigned to having smoothies with some of our other friends, Gwen, a blonde haired, red eyed equestrian, Eve, the blonde, pink eyed waitress who worked with my brother (but apparently had off tonight), and Bob, the muscular, dark-haired and dark-eyed ranch hand, until my mom stood and tapped her fork on a glass. Somehow she managed to get everyone's attention and the music stopped, everyone quieting and watching her.

"Hello, everyone," she greeted. There was a group murmur as an answer. "As we all know, today is Cassandra's seventeenth birthday." Loud applause and whistling erupted in the room, and Bob whooped and hollered from across the table. Joe laughed and nudged him playfully, and my mother waited patiently for the raucous to stop. "It's an important day for her. She's finally becoming a woman, and in just a week she's moving out into the world by herself." There were mixed reactions this time; some excited while others were sad. I shifted in my seat, trying to look happy for myself. "It's also important to her because today, she learns the name of her fiancé, someone who she's been dying to know about ever since I told her about him." I sat up a little straighter, and my mom searched the room from where she was standing near the bar until she found me. She looked very generic actually; she wore a small smile and a formal dress, her hair framing her face elegantly, but she didn't look emotional at all. I was used to this by now, but I could tell that some people in the Café were confused. I mimicked my mother's expression as I waited for her to continue, which only made people look even more confused at our apparent indifference. Man, it sure was fun to mess with people sometimes.

"Cassandra," she started dramatically. Or, what would have been dramatically if she'd put expression into it. "Your fiancé's name is Gray Ferrer." It seemed simple enough right? But I was excited I fought the urge to jump out of my seat and settled for smiling as others clapped for me, I suppose not really understanding the significance. Gwen hugged me and I beamed, feeling the attention on me. When I looked up at Joe, he seemed to be in utter shock, and Bob looked confused. They quickly looked away from me when I caught them and engaged in conversation with each other. I wondered what they were up to momentarily before Mom concluded her speech.

"Congratulations, Cassandra. And happy birthday." With that, she sat down and there was more applause as everyone resumed whatever it was they were doing. I was going to ask Bob and Joe what it was they had been talking about, but Carl sat down next to me.

"Aw, my little sister is finally getting married!" he said with a smile. I raised an eyebrow at him

"Finally? _You _certainly aren't married," I replied. He grinned guiltily at me and shrugged.

"That's because I like being a bachelor, alright? I don't want to be tied down!" He looked at me seriously, and I practically gawked at him for a second before bursting out in side-wrenching laugher. He furrowed his brows at me. "What's so funny?" Joe had joined in my laughter, and Gwen grinned at him. Eve chuckled lightly at him and he blushed, but I wasn't in any shape to make fun of him for it because I was laughing so hard. With a huff, he stood and strode away, and Eve followed at his heels. Bob shook his head, looking after them.

"Yeah, bachelor my ass. He's already tied down. The question is; does he know it?" Bob said thoughtfully. Joe and I stopped laughing and looked at him quizzically. He noticed and grinned at us. "What? Isn't it obvious?" We all looked after them and started laughing again, my previous question forgotten.

Things continued like this for the rest of the night; laughing and joking with my friends, drinking smoothies and eating ice cream and basically goofing off. We ate a cake, which was so beautifully made that I could barely bring myself to cut it, and it was just as delicious as it looked. People started to leave afterwards, including my mother, telling me happy birthday and congratulations, until my friends and I were the only ones left. Bob glanced at the clock and dismissed himself, saying that he had work in the morning, and Gwen went with him.

"Maybe he's tied down, too, and doesn't know it," Joe said, watching them leave. I smiled and stifled a yawn. "Come on, I'll walk you home." We stood to leave and headed to the door.

"Hey, where's my tip?" Carl called after us. Joe pulled a single gold coin out of his pocket and threw it to Carl who scowled momentarily before returning to his bubbly demeanor. Joe smirked at him playfully. "Thank you! Come again soon!" We waved and passed through the doorway into the humid summer night.

I noticed that, on the way to my house, Joe looked like he was going to say something multiple times. He opened his mouth to start, but always sighed and stayed silent. I pretended not to notice and tried to focus on the billions of stars above us, but found my eyes lingering on Joe. A couple of times his brown eyes met with my blue ones, and I smiled at him, urging him to say what he was thinking, but he smiled in a distracted manner and then looked away and watched his feet.

"You okay?" I finally asked. He looked up at me with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just a little tired," he said. I didn't believe him, but I didn't want to pry… my mother always said that prying was rude, and I'd always gotten in trouble for it before. If I couldn't pry my mom for information, then I definitely couldn't do it to Joe. No matter how much I wanted to at that moment. The rest of the walk was silent until we got to my house.

"Be careful on the way home, alright?" I said, feeling like my mother for a second. "Thanks for walking with me." He nodded and smiled.

"It was nothing," he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And you don't need to worry about me. Look at these guns!" He flexed his muscles and I chuckled at him, but the smile on his face didn't fool me; it didn't reach his tired eyes.

Spontaneously, I hugged him, which shocked both of us, to be honest, and I felt his brown hair tickle my cheek from where it poked out underneath his bandana. He hugged me back after a moment, and I felt his muscular arms flex before he released me. When I looked back up at him; the caring and warmth had returned to his brown eyes.

"Goodnight," he said, turning around and waving at me with a huge smile on his face. I smiled and waved back.

"Goodnight!" I called after him. I walked into my dark house and changed, then laid down in my bed, thinking about Joe and about Gray.

He had quite the name, didn't he? Gray… I wondered if his name reflected his personality. What would that even mean anyway? Would it mean he would be a balance of the two extremes, black and white? Or would his personality be like that of a storm cloud? I certainly hoped not, but I didn't really get a chance to think about it before I started drifting off to sleep.

_Oh well, _I thought drowsily. _I'll find out soon enough._

---

**Author's Note: **Well that took forever to write. It's pretty long, I know. Well, compared to my other stuff. Hope it didn't bore you. Review please! Sorry if the end feels a little rushed.


	6. Chapter 5

"No way!" Popuri yelled. I looked up at where she was leaning over the counter, talking to Kai. We were at the Snack Shack, the little shop on the beach that Kai ran. He shushed her and looked over at me, offering a lopsided grin. I narrowed my eyes at him before returning to my baked corn, and Popuri raced over to me. "You're getting married to Cassandra? She's like, my best friend! Well, my best friend from Flower Bud, anyway."

"Exactly how many friends do you have from over there?" I asked sarcastically. She beamed at me.

"One!" she exclaimed. Kai smacked his forehead, still standing behind the counter, and I just stared at her. Kai didn't get too much business, thankfully, or the whole world would know I was getting married now. If they didn't already. Luckily, no one else was in the restaurant when she decided to scream that.

In any case, the fact that Popuri was friends with Cassandra didn't comfort me _at all. _If she acted anything like Popuri, then she would drive me mad before the season was out. My sour mood worsened, if that was even possible, and I shot Kai a death glare for talking to Popuri about it. I _knew_ that he'd already known about it when I first told him; I could just tell. I'd have to talk to him about that later.

"Cassie's amazing!" Popuri continued. "She's so awesome and nice and smart and pretty." Kai perked up at that last part, and I rolled my eyes. "You know it's her birthday today?" I rolled my eyes at her, uncaring. Popuri remained oblivious. "I can't wait until she gets here!" She paused, thinking. "When does she get here?"

"In a few days," I said dismissively. Popuri jumped up and down and clapped her hands excitedly. I took a huge bite out of my baked corn and juice dribbled down my chin. Popuri looked at me in a disapproving manner and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" I asked with a mouthful of corn.

"You can't eat like that around Cassie! She's a lady! She'll find it absolutely repulsive!" Popuri reprimanded.

"Like I give a-"

"Of course you do! She's so polite! You don't eat like that in polite company!" She was obviously trying to make some sense out of this, though I really didn't think it was working. All of a sudden, she perked up again, eyes sparkling like a schoolgirl's. I watched her quizzically and wiped my face with a napkin.

"Well?" I asked impatiently, thinking of some girl who was a mix between Popuri and Kristen.

"You HAVE to meet her brother, Carl. He's SO cute!" When I saw Kai's reaction to this statement, which was staring with his mouth agape at his girlfriend, I couldn't help but laugh curtly at him.

"Well he is!" I heard Popuri explain over my laughter. Kai shook his head, leaning on the counter. I regained composure quickly, though looking at Kai made me want to laugh again. He glared at me irritably, so I looked away and tried to focus on my corn.

"Anyway," Popuri continued, sitting down next to me and resting her chin on her folded hands. "Cassie is probably like, _the_ most popular person in Flowerbud." I gave her a 'so?' look and she sighed. "Well fine! She deserves better than you anyway!"

I put my corn back on my plate and looked at Popuri, my face shifting from one of disbelief to rage. This girl, who didn't even know me all that well, was saying that _I _wasn't good enough for some snobby _kid_? I glared at her, my signature scowl painted on my face. I could vaguely make out Kai in the background racing around the counter and over to our table.

"What did you just say?" I growled. Popuri glared right back at me. She sure was bold, for a girl whose IQ was probably lower than her age.

And considering she was nineteen, that's saying a lot.

"I said, Cassandra deserves better than you!" she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"You wouldn't understand!" I yelled, rising from my chair, clenching my fists to my sides. "You get to marry whoever the hell you want! I _have_ to marry her! I don't give a _damn_ if I'm good enough for her, because it wasn't my decision in the first place!" Kai grabbed Popuri's shoulders and pulled her away from me like I was a rabid bear. Popuri looked at me, and I could tell she was apologetic, but she mostly looked afraid. Of me! I had never hurt anybody, especially not a girl! I was growing angrier by the second, and I snarled at them both, clenching my fists by my side, causing both of them took a few steps away from me. "_Dammit,_ Kai! You of all people should know I wouldn't _hit _her!" He looked at the floor shamefully and I turned to leave.

"Maybe you shouldn't talk to anyone about Gray's engagement, honey…" I heard Kai say as I shut the door. I huffed as I stormed off the beach and headed to Mother's Hill, where I could have some time alone for once.

---

I don't think I could've hated life any more than at that moment.

I was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to Kai snore loudly from his own bed across the room. He'd avoided me all day, kept his girlfriend across town at all times, told his girlfriend about my fiancée even though we were _supposed _to be friends or something like that, _and_ he'd ruined my day off.

What a waste of a Thursday.

In any case, it wasn't Thursday any more. It was Friday morning, and I couldn't sleep. My alarm clock blinked 3:14 over and over, casting a faint red light. I rolled onto my side and started at it, until the 14 changed to a 15, the 15 into a 16, and so on until it read 4:00. Still Kai snored like a chainsaw, and I still felt like ramming his head into the wall.

"…Gray?" a faint voice whispered sleepily in the dark. Considering the fact that Kai was still snoring, I assumed it was Cliff.

"Hn?" I grunted in reply, rolling over on my other side so I face him, though I couldn't make out anything in the pitch dark that enveloped the room.

"You can't sleep either?" he asked grimly with what I assumed to be a yawn. I shook my head, before realizing that he couldn't see me.

"No," I replied. We were silent for a moment.

"What happened today?" Cliff asked. I didn't say anything for a moment. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. You two were glaring daggers at each other all afternoon." I sighed because, frankly, he was right.

"Well," I started with an exhausted sigh. "Kai told Popuri about Cassandra. More than she already knew." I scowled, remembering that I caught her eavesdropping back when Gramps first 'told' me about her. "Apparently she and Cassandra are good friends." There was a pause, and he turned on the lamp on his nightstand, dimly illuminating his frowning, tired face.

"That doesn't mean you can assume that they're alike," he said, as if he read my mind. Kai rolled over in his sleep, facing away from the lamp to shield his eyes from the light, but continuing to snore once he made himself comfortable again. I wanted to throw my hammer at him.

"But it's logical to," I grumbled, still looking at Kai's sleeping form. Cliff leaned back against his headboard and frowned.

"No it's not. You and I are friends, but we're not alike," he stated.

"Yes we are. We both are quiet around people," I replied. I was not going to give this one up, even in my exhausted state.

"But that's because I'm shy. You're just a misanthrope." I grunted, because that was very true. "And you've got a temper, while I'm very patient. Not to mention that I'm reasonable while you obviously aren't. It's almost like we're opposites. Maybe Cassandra and Popuri are the same way." I thought about this for a moment, considering the possibility, but then remembered that Cassandra was _seventeen_. Or was she eighteen? Popuri said that it was her birthday…

But what did I care? One year wasn't going to make that much of a difference.

"She's just a kid. There's no possible way that she's mature. She probably acts exactly like Popuri." Cliff sighed. "Of course Dad had to set me up with a teenager."

"We were all teenagers once," Cliff said quietly. "Circumstance… it's a big factor determining who we are." I knew he was referring to his own messed up childhood. He'd already lost all of his family, so he was probably grown up way before most people were. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room as we both contemplated this, and I realized that I'd wandered into uncomfortable territory.

"Well, might as well get some sleep," I mumbled, abruptly ending the conversation and rolling over onto my other side. Cliff said nothing as he turned out the light, which only made me feel more awkward. Soon enough, though, I was actually able to fall asleep.

---

It was now Sunday, and I certainly wasn't feeling any better about any of this situation. No one even bothered to say anything to me, not even Kai, though I couldn't tell if it was because no one knew about it or if I was just that low on the social ladder.

I seriously hoped it was the former.

After work I wandered around, bored as usual, unsure of what to do with myself. I wound up near the library, probably out of habit, and shuffled around uncomfortably outside for a bit. With a sigh, I decided that I could go in, and if things were too awkward with Mary I could always pretend I was reading. The Goddess knows I wouldn't actually be able to read with her in the room.

I didn't really have to worry about that, though, because when I walked in, Kai was there, leaning on Mary's desk and shamelessly flirting with her despite the fact that he had a girlfriend. Mary was blushing shyly and looked cute overall, which just made me that much more upset. They both turned to me as a bell announced my presence, but I didn't stay to see their reaction beyond that. I heard the door open behind me as I walked briskly down the street.

"Wait!" Kai called after me. I ignored him. He ran and caught up with me, and I pretended that he didn't exist.

"Listen man," he continued, jogging to keep up. "I'm sorry. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal if I told Popuri her name. I didn't know Popuri'd know who she was." Again, I ignored him. "Don't be like that." He frowned at me.

"And what about Mary, huh?" I asked, unable to contain myself, but still keeping up my pace.

"You know I do that with everyone."

"Does Popuri know?" I asked.

"Well, um…"

"Maybe she wouldn't think it was a big deal, you know, if I told her or something."

"Alright I get it!" he said exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air. "It won't ever happen again, I promise."

"I wouldn't bet on it," I grumbled, slowing my pace to a normal walk.

"When have I ever broken a promise?" I looked at him with my arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. He laughed and offered a cheeky grin. "Right. Well, are you up for some baked corn?"

"Yes," I replied immediately. After a pause, I added; "Are you paying?" Kai laughed.

"Sure, and then we're even," he said.

"… not really," I said without humor.

"Do you want the baked corn or not?" I debated with myself, but, ultimately, baked corn was my weakness, so I had to agree.

"Great!" Kai exclaimed, starting to run. "Let's go, then."

I really couldn't believe that I was that forgiving. Kai should've felt honored to have a friend like me.

---

**Author's Note: **Terribly sorry I've been out for awhile. Like, 2 months. I hope I still have some readers out there. Review's appreciated. XD


	7. Chapter 6

It was the night before I was to leave for Mineral Town, and I found myself, once again, at the beach. I was still trying to mentally prepare myself to go, less worried about Mineral Town itself than leaving my hometown of Flowerbud. I sure would miss this place…

"Cassie!" exclaimed Joe as he once again plopped himself down in the sand next to me. I was beyond used to his random appearances by now, and I wasn't even phased by it.

"Hello, Joe," I said, glancing at him. "How are you tonight?" He made himself comfortable and frowned.

"Fine, considering my best friend is leaving tomorrow," Joe replied, only a hint of sadness in his voice. "When's the boat leaving again?"

"Ten," I replied, almost too quickly. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed that I was so excited.

"Well," Joe scoffed. "I guess you just can't wait to get out of here, huh?" He pretended to be hurt even though he knew that wasn't what I'd meant at all.

"No, it's just…" I fought to remain stoic, but one look at Joe's face--one eyebrow raised and grinning crookedly-- made me unable to remain unmoving. I laughed a little. "I've already planned out practically every minute of tomorrow up to when I arrive in Mineral Town. It's a little embarrassing." Joe smiled at me.

"It shouldn't be. You're going to start you life on your own, it should be exciting." He paused, turning his face toward the moon for a moment before his eyes locked with mine again. "What are you doing with all the time before ten?" I blinked at him.

"I'm spending it with you, of course." The sentence was a lot more awkward-sounding than it had been in my head, and I fought the blush that rose to my cheeks, unsuccessfully. I looked away, thinking that maybe he'd taken that the wrong way, but I didn't let it show that I was uncomfortable. Joe, after looking at me in stunned silence, finally broke out into another grin.

"That's right. Spend your last few hours with your best friend." I turned and blinked at him.

"What, you mean Dan? I thought you'd want me to spend it with you, but…" I shrugged and we both laughed, knowing that I didn't get along well with Dan at all. Then I mirrored his posture, leaning back on my hands and stretching out my legs. "I'm going to miss times like this."

"Me too." He hesitated, as if waiting for me to continue. "… so when do you want to meet me tomorrow?" I started out over the sea for a moment.

"Is eight alright?"

"Eight?!" he exclaimed. "I'm usually still fast asleep at eight!" He laughed. "But for you? Anything." He seemed to clamp his mouth shut after that, and I thought I saw him blush, but it was hard to tell in the dark. I turned away, feeling a little flutter in my stomach at the admission, and I groaned inwardly. I decided to cover the whole thing up with a joke.

"I know," I said. "I'm just that wonderful." I grinned, a rare occurrence that felt odd on my lips, but I felt I needed it to help Joe feel a little better. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Egotistic, aren't we?" he said, smiling. "Glad I could get you to come out of that little shell your mother has put you in." I nodded, this being a subject that we'd agreed to disagree on. Sure, my mom was a little excessive when it came to teaching me how to be perfectly polite and show complete indifference, not doing anything but the same herself, but there was a reason for it, I just knew it. She'd never tell me, of course… but she was the same way, and she was perfectly fine. It wasn't like she was cruel or anything, but Joe didn't understand. Unfortunately for my mother, allowing me to play with the other kids in town, especially Joe, had taught me the opposite as well. Not to mention my brother…

My thoughts were interrupted as a high-pitched howl cut through the night, causing Joe to jump to his feet and look around wearily. I noted the full moon above us as I stood, standing behind him as he looked for the wolf as others picked up the call. They probably meant us no harm, but it was better safe than sorry.

"I'm going to bring you home now." He paused, listening to the brooding song of the wolves. "You really ought to think about what time it is when you decide to head to the beach," he said, pulling his axe out of his bag, which I knew he kept random supplies in, including his beloved fishing pole. I sighed. He always felt the need to protect me, even though most of the time it was completely unnecessary. It's not like the wolves had ever injured anyone before. At least, not in the time I'd lived there. Which was my whole life. "I won't always be there to protect you from the wolves." He added, meaning the last part as a joke, but I could hear the bitterness in it. It made me feel bad for leaving him, but what could be done? Life must go on, after all.

We padded silently through the forest back to my house, avoiding the wolves that prowled the area. I asked Joe if he'd be able to get home alright, and he just told me that he'd be fine with a lopsided grin, commenting about the fact that someone actually cared about his welfare. I merely wished him goodnight and went inside to find that no one was awake. I locked the door, an unnecessary action around these parts, and then I went to bed.

But I couldn't sleep.

I lie awake staring at the ceiling for the better part of the night, thinking about everything that had happened earlier in the evening and what could possibly happen tomorrow before rising and tip-toeing to my brother's room across the hall. He was, of course, fast asleep, snoring soundly, but a gentle shake woke him up.

"What is it?" he said, blinking up at me sleepily as he propped himself up onto his elbows. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," I said, frowning as I sat down on the foot of his bed. "I can't stop thinking about tomorrow." Carl nodded, and though it looked like he zoned out afterwards, I knew from experience that he was just thinking in his sleepy state, as I'd seen him like this before. As a matter of fact, the situation had occurred many times since we were younger, when I'd had a nightmare or I just couldn't sleep. Carl would talk to me about almost anything, and waking my parents up proved useless when I was younger as they would just tell me to go to sleep every time.

"What part of tomorrow?" he finally asked, sitting up against the headboard of his small bed. He smiled sleepily. "Or, should I say, which boy of tomorrow?" Normally I might have responded to that playfully, but instead I frowned. Carl figured that he'd hit the nail on the head, and his smile faded.

"Oh, so it's true…" Carl pondered, as if he'd heard some gossip and not believed it until now. Which, seeing as he worked with Katie, was extremely possible. "You're falling for your best friend?" He offered me a smile, sleepy though it was, and I crossed my arms and huffed.

"No," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me and I sighed. "I just feel bad is all." He shook his head, as if I was in denial or something. "I mean… he's so heartbroken."

"So you finally see I was right, though?" he asked. "He does like you." I sighed again.

"Yes, yes, I see that," I replied. "That's only part of the problem anyway."

"I already told you, What's-His-Face will like you just fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. I raised my eyebrows at him before shaking my head.

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can." He sat up cross-legged and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How?" I challenged, mirroring his posture.

"Who do you know that doesn't like you?"

"Dan, Kurt, Blue-"

"They don't dislike you. They're neutral. Except for Dan, of course…"

"You've said that before, and it's still not a good argument. _They_ don't like me. What if he doesn't either?" I lay down on the bed, sprawling myself across it in a frustrated manner, and Carl sighed, brushing hair out of my face.

"Weren't you always the one who believed that arranged marriages work?" he asked quietly. "You always looked at Mom and Dad and thought about how much they loved each other, and you always believed that you'd truly love someone that same way. You can't give up on that notion now." I closed my eyes, thinking for a moment, and then opened them again, smiling.

"You're right, Carl," I said, sitting up and preparing to go back to my room.

"Of course I am. As always," he replied, grinning. I shook my head at him and headed for the door.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"Hey, what're big brothers for?"

And with that, I finally went to sleep.

---

I spent the whole morning with Joe, meeting him at the carpentry at eight like we'd agreed. He was still asleep when I arrived, and I spoke with Woody until he was ready to go. Kurt refused to say anything beyond hello, which reminded me of my worries, but I pushed them out of my mind. I didn't want to ruin my last few hours in town.

Joe and I rushed out of the carpentry and went to the Café, where we ordered a huge breakfast (compliments of Woody, surprisingly enough) and Eve, Carl, and Katie all stopped to talk to us at one point. I knew that most of the village, if not all of them, would be at the dock to see me off, but they still acted as if this was the last time they'd ever get to see me. Joe finally managed to get them to leave us alone, because, frankly, their questions were bothering me and, despite my efforts to remain completely stoic, Joe could tell. I'm sure Carl could've as well, but he only stopped by once before running off to take care of other orders.

After that, we went fishing. I knew that my mother wouldn't approve, but I'd take a shower before I left anyway. Joe didn't really catch anything huge, and I only caught one fish. I'd never tell him so, but Joe isn't actually that great at fishing even though it was his favorite hobby, and I was even worse. Overall, though, we avoided the subject of my leaving and had a good time, though Joe had this urgency about him that made me acutely aware that I would be leaving soon.

Afterwards I went back to my house and showered while Joe brought the fish we caught back to his place at the carpentry, and when I finished I put on a nice dress with a flowered pattern and grabbed my sunhat, even though I wouldn't wear it around here, and I pulled the upper layer of my hair back, knowing that if I didn't my hair would be in my face all the time I was on the boat. I checked the clock; nine thirty. Joe was waiting outside for me, which was to be expected, I suppose, along with Bob and Gwen.

My family and friends accompanied me to the beach, and we all talked and waited for the boat. The people from the nearby shops came out to wish me good luck and such, telling me to keep in touch. I responded politely and told them that I would send letters to my mother for the entire town, and eventually everyone went back to work. Carl and Eve even came to see me for a little while. When they went back to work it was just me, my family and my close friends on the beach, watching for the ship. My mother and father broke off from our group and stood by themselves, talking to each other in hushed tones, causing me to wonder what they were talking about.

At one point, Bob took Joe off a ways and talked to him, leaving Gwen to preoccupy me, though I wondered what the two were talking about while I talked with Gwen. Finally, after a little bit of what seemed to be debating they came back over, Bob grabbed Gwen's hand and lead her away, after engulfing me in a huge bear hug and wishing me well, of course.

"What was that all about?" I asked. Joe just shrugged with a lopsided grin.

"Nothing to concern yourself about," he replied, though I didn't believe him. And then he frowned, looking out at the sea, and pointed at the horizon. "Looks like your ride's here." I looked to where he was pointing and saw it as well; a ship, just a speck on the horizon. I started to panic for a second before Joe grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, somehow making me feel better, calmer. I smiled up at him before looking back at the ocean.

"It's sure going to be different without you around," Joe said. I glanced at him, then nodded.

"Yeah, well, I only know one person in Mineral Town," I murmured. "At least you'll still know people."

"You're likable. You'll be fine." He squeezed my hand again, grinning at me, and I smiled back. The boat was already ten minutes late, and it took what felt like an eternity for the boat to reach the dock.

"I guess this is it," I said sadly, realizing it was time for me to leave. Joe pulled me into his embrace before I could say anything else, and I realized that he was crying. I bit my lip and kept from doing the same, but he was like my pillar, and seeing him crumble like that broke my heart. "I'll call you tonight."

"I'mma miss you so much," Joe murmured into my hair. I looked up at him, and through it all, he was still smiling. It amazed me that his watery eyes and tearstained face could still manage to go with a smile, but that was what I loved about Joe. I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek as farewell.

He looked absolutely stunned and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking very much like a fish, and, offering a smile, I put my sun hat on. Then I picked up my suitcase with my meager belongings in it, and turned the other way. My mother approached and offered me a small smile, then hugged me.

"Good luck, dear," she said before releasing me. "Be polite. You're fiancé is a grown man, after all." I nodded. "Popuri will show you where you're staying when you get there. The people there are friendly, I promise, though a lot of them don't know you're coming. Word will spread once you get there, though, so don't you worry about that." I wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about, so I just nodded again. Then my father took her place, taller than her by half a foot and twice as broad, for he was a farmer, and he hugged me tightly, causing a little difficulty in breathing. He released me and I fixed my hat and smoothed down my dress, smiling up at him. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled, blue eyes oozing pride.

"Just remember that being married is a lot of work, Cassie. Try not to be too clingy at first, and spend a lot of time making other friends too. Good luck," he said, hugging me again. I contemplated this, knowing that this advice would probably be a lot more useful than what my mom had said, and I nodded as soon as he let me go.

"Thanks Dad," I said. "I'll miss you both." They both told me they'd miss me too, and they each gave me one more hug before heading off to talk to the ship's captain. Joe approached me slowly and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said, tears freely flowing down his face. I fought to keep my own in check and nodded. "If anything happens… or if you just need someone to talk, just call me. Anytime, I promise." I nodded again and bit my lip. "Cassie… I… well… I'll miss you. More than you could possibly understand." He hugged me, and I heard my mom call for me, disapproval lining her tone, and Joe and I laughed to ourselves. "Bet you won't miss _that_, though." I laughed harder, suddenly feeling much better about leaving and I smiled brightly at my best friend as I picked up my suitcase again, heading down to the dock where I would finally leave my hometown.

I pushed all sad thoughts out of my mind and tried to look at the future ahead of me which was sure to be bright, as my family had told me it would be. I stepped onto the boat, gently rocking on the waves, and stood leaning against the railing where I could see my parents and my best friend, and the crew got ready to set sail again. I waved at them and then my parents, not being emotional people anyway, left, leaving just Joe, screaming goodbye to me and crying, though he still wore a huge smile. His arms seemed to be flailing more than waving at me as the boat sailed away, and I waved but was unable to bring myself to yell anything back. We waved at each other until he was a tiny speck on the stretch of beach and we couldn't really see each other that well anymore, but I watched him until he slowly walked out of view. After looking in that direction for a moment, I turned the other way, to the front of the boat, where my new life would start, turning my back on the old one.

And then I just stood there, thinking, for what felt like an eternity before I finally started to cry.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to let everyone know that I rearranged some of the places, because I can. In the inn, the two beds farthest from eachother are where they were but the middle one is on the other side, and there are no tables, and I put a porch on the Snack Shack because it really seems like one should be there. Enjoy.

---

I sighed for what must've been the millionth time within the hour as Kai moved restlessly beside me, smiling eagerly.

"Look, there it is!" he exclaimed, pointing out at the horizon. I huffed in impatience, crossing my arms. "Come on, at least _act_ excited." I only grunted in reply, leaning against the railing on the porch of the Snack Shack, where we'd been waiting all morning for the stupid boat to arrive. It was already two hours late, and I frankly didn't give a damn any more. Not like I gave one in the first place.

I moved back to the bench a few feet behind me, in the shade, and sat, propping one foot on my other knee. Kai raised an eyebrow at me and then slung his legs over the railing, sitting on it and swinging his legs back and forth for no apparent reason, basking in the sun like a cat.

The ship approached rather quickly from there (as it should, after wasting most of my morning!), and I felt my stomach twisting itself up in knots. I don't really know why, seeing as I really didn't care about this girl, and I knew that I would hate her no matter what. It was unbelievable that this one girl would be able to intrude upon my life and turn it upside-down, just when I'd finally found the girl that I loved.

My thoughts were interrupted by an impressed whistle from Kai. I looked up at him from under the brim of my hat.

"She's a beaut," he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes, thinking about how Kai thought nearly every girl was a 'beaut', but I followed his gaze to the ship anyway. A girl was standing on the front beaming at the shore childishly, and I felt my scowl deepen subconsciously. Kai wasn't lying, though; she certainly wasn't bad looking. She had dark brown hair, much the same color of her mother's, that reached her shoulder blades and whipped around her in the wind underneath a large sun hat. Her hands were crossed in front of her, and she wore a sundress with a flowered, colorful pattern that reached her knees, also billowing around her legs in the breeze. The boat docked, and Zach brought her a suitcase. She took it with a slight curtsey and what must have been a thank you before making her way around the dock.

As the girl got closer, it seemed that she got… prettier. Ugh, I cursed myself for even thinking it. But it was true; she had a slight hourglass shape and smooth features, and she moved with a grace that you'd only expect from royalty. I hated myself for thinking she was pretty, and hated _her_ for making me think such things. I sank lower into the bench, scowling as usual, and tried to remain unnoticed, though for what reason I couldn't say. I'd have to introduce myself anyways, so I may as well get it over with…

But I didn't.

"Hey, beautiful," Kai said as she came closer, hopping off the railing and into the sand. She smiled at him.

"Hello," she said, her eyes, almost the same shade as my own, twinkling. She approached him and dropped her suitcase on the edge of the porch, and she kissed both of his cheeks in greeting, causing a huge grin to spread across his face. "You must be Gray. I'm Cassandra."

"Well…" Kai started. I was tempted to let him claim my identity for a moment, which I knew was what he was going to do, but instead I reluctantly stood.

"No. That's me," I said gruffly. She looked at me, a trace of shock appearing on her face before she stepped away from Kai, blushing slightly. Kai looked at me in that pouting sort of way that he does (which is really irritating) but then smiled again as he turned back to Cassandra.

"I'm Kai," he said, offering her a hand, which she shook hesitantly. Maybe it was just me, but Cassandra seemed a bit disappointed at finding out that Kai wasn't me…

"Oh, uh… sorry," she said. There was an awkward silence where I could just _feel_ Kai thinking of something utterly _charming_ to say, but we were interrupted by none other than Popuri.

"Cassie! Cassie!" she yelled as she ran toward us, lifting the hem of her dress up so she could run in the sand. She hugged Cassandra before she could even make a move to protest… or run.

"Why, hello, Popuri," she said, though it came out strained and slightly uncomfortable. Maybe because she couldn't breathe. "And how have you been?"

"Just fine, Cassie! But it's terribly boring around here," she said. She noticed that Kai was there a moment later and beamed. "You've met my boyfriend, Kai, then?" Kai smiled cheekily and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Cassie, well, I would have to give the girl credit, because she didn't even flinch. Though, I supposed, that could've been because she didn't care that she kissed her friend's boyfriend (even if it was just on the cheek), but she didn't really seem like the type. She just nodded.

"Yes, I have," she said. "He's… quite charming, really." I scoffed. Charming? Of course she would say that, though… all girls did.

"What about Gray? What do you think of him?" Popuri pressed. What, did I not exist over here, or something? Cassie frowned slightly.

"I haven't really had the chance to speak with him, yet," she said. Well, _that_ was the understatement of the century. She'd barely even gotten off the boat, and Popuri already expected her to have an opinion of me.

"Well that's no good!" she said. "Why don't you have him show you around?" I was going to protest, but Cassandra answered first, after a glance in my direction.

"Actually… I'd like to get settled in first. Could you show me where I'll be staying? Mom said you would know…" I wondered briefly if she said that because she didn't want to get to know me or if she'd seen that I didn't really want to give her a tour. Well, I didn't really want to get to know her, either, but she probably wouldn't have guessed that.

"Gray can take you," she said. "So then you guys can chat! You do know where she's staying, don't you?" The last part was directed at me (probably because she saw the look on my face), and I shook my head in response. "Well then. She's staying at the inn, in the room next to yours. I can't believe you didn't know that." I glared at her and she smiled innocently. "Well, we'll leave you two for now! If you want to come visit, I live at the poultry farm on the south side of town. See ya later!" With that, the pink-haired annoyance ran off, pulling Kai along behind her. He looked over his shoulder and mouthed 'good luck' to me, along with a wink, and I scowled. Again.

Cassandra and I stood there awkwardly for a second before I finally jumped the porch, landing where Kai had been a few minutes before. Coming to my full height, I realized just how tall this girl was. I wasn't short, by any means, at six two, and she was tall enough to reach past my chin. She must've been around five nine… definitely quite tall, for a girl. I grabbed her suitcase for her and started to walk towards town without preamble. She followed without hesitation.

"So… uh… were you born here?" Cassandra asked, attempting to create conversation. "I've never been away from my hometown…" She trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"No," I said after a moment. "I was born in the city, but my parents sent me here when I was a teenager. My grandpa took care of me." Might as well tell her what the whole town knew anyway. I hoped she wasn't expecting me to open up to her and tell her my entire life story, because that was _not _going to happen. Ever, if I could help it.

I led her up the stairs and through Rose Plaza, and she followed in silence, taking in everything quickly, not asking to stop and look around or anything. I supposed that she'd find her way around later. I held the door for her once we arrived at the inn (because I AM capable of being polite), and then followed her inside.

"Hello!" Ann said, spotting someone new walking in the door. Doug looked vaguely interested as well from behind the counter, but he didn't say anything. Ann rushed over excitedly, as if I'd brought home a puppy and not a person. "Welcome to the inn! My name's Ann." She offered Cassandra her hand, which she shook politely before introducing herself.

"I'm Cassandra," she said. She glanced at me, and I had a strange suspicion that she was silently asking if she should introduce herself as my fiancée, though it could have just been me being paranoid. I frowned slightly and she looked back to Ann, her expression never changing. "I'll be staying here for a while." I hoped she didn't want me to go out and buy a house… or maybe she was just covering for me? I couldn't tell.

"Oh, so you were the one we were expecting," Ann said thoughtfully. "Your room is ready upstairs. Would you like anything to eat? First meal is on the house!"

"No thank you," Cassandra said politely. "I'd like to get settled in right now, if that's alright." Ann smiled and nodded.

"It's not a problem. Your room is right next to Gray's, actually. He can show you up there." Why did _I_ get volunteered for everything? "If you ever need anything, I'm usually around here. See you later!" With that, Ann went back to help some other customers who'd been in here before us, sitting at a table at the far end of the room. They must've been travelers, because I didn't think I'd ever seen them before. They were kind of weird; three men huddled at the table and talking very quietly amongst themselves. They looked up at us for a moment before resuming their chatter, and I decided that it was nothing and I should just ignore them.

With that I started walking toward the staircase and up the stairs, expecting Cassandra to follow again. She did, and we found the door unlocked. I opened it and put her suitcase on her bed.

"Gray," she said, seemingly out of nowhere. I turned to face her and raised an eyebrow at her. "I just wanted to talk to you about… about us being engaged." The last part was quiet, but I couldn't read her face. It seemed that she had some kind of uncanny ability to hide her emotions, and it was starting to get to me.

"Alright," I said, though I planned on making this short. I thought for a moment before continuing. "You're probably hating this situation as much as I am. So listen. I don't really care what you do. I didn't want to be forced into this, either; I understand." It was so weird hearing myself talk like that. "But don't expect me to give you anything or whatever it is you thought would happen. I'm not a knight in shining armor, and I don't plan on changing. Maybe you have a boyfriend back in Flowerbud? Doesn't matter to me." She looked positively shocked for a second, and I was vaguely satisfied for breaking her emotion-barrier thing. She pulled herself back together quickly and looked at me with a look so void of emotion, though, that I took a step away from her. She looked… dead. It was really creepy.

"Fine," she said. There was an awkward pause when her eyes glazed over, as if she were thinking, and then she focused on me again, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. "… Get out." The command shocked me almost as much as her apparent lack of emotion did, and I didn't move for a second. "Gray, _leave._" I pulled the brim of my hat down over my eyes and walked past her out of the room, sparing a glance back at her as I passed through the doorway. She was still standing where she was, not even turning to face me, or even to close the door. What was her deal? She should've been happy that she wouldn't have to stay tied to me.

Then she seemed to collapse into herself, slouching over and sitting on the side of the bed opposite the door and holding her head up in her hands. Was she… crying? Damn. She _was_ expecting a white knight, wasn't she? I hadn't really meant to hurt her, but I wasn't about to go back in there and apologize. I scowled and stalked off to my own room, shutting the door behind me.

Shit. I'd really done it this time, hadn't I?

---

What was I doing? Even though I hadn't really had anything planned for the rest of my day off, and I should've been happy to have told Cassandra everything that I thought, I couldn't bring myself to leave. Instead I paced back and forth in my room, wondering what I should do, scowling and grumbling to myself.

That is, until Kai burst into the room.

"Gray!" he growled, storming over to me. I stopped my pacing and watched him, noting that I'd never seen him this mad before. "Why did you do that to her?" He was obnoxiously close to me now, though I had some height on him. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you care? You don't have to deal with her," I snarled back. I knew he just meant well, and I did feel bad, but I was just easily irritated and Kai had just pressed one of my many buttons. Kai literally growled at me before taking a step back and throwing his arms in the air.

"Of course! Mister Anti-Social doesn't even know how to treat a lady!" Kai said. He kept his voice down, though, making me think that Cassandra was still in her room next door. "Maybe Popuri was right – you don't deserve her."

"And I suppose you do?" I replied in the same tone. He glanced at me over his shoulder.

"You haven't even gotten to know her yet, and she's crying in her room because her fiancé told her to leave him alone! Do you have any idea how that must feel?" His tone was less angry now, and more bitter, like he would know something about it, though I seriously doubted that was true. I didn't answer, but instead looked away, because I knew he was right.

"You know, she really wanted you to give her a chance," Kai said quietly. I was about to ask how he would know, but then I heard a muffled voice from the other side of the wall.

"Hello?" I heard. It was Cassandra. Kai and I exchanged a look and then moved to the wall without saying a word. "Hi, Mom. How are things?"

"Should we really be eavesdropping?" I asked. Kai glanced at me incredulously before moving to a spot closer to where Cassandra would be on the other side of the wall.

"Well we want to know how we can make her feel better, don't we?" Kai asked. I frowned, hoping something more along the lines of Cassandra getting her mom to end the engagement, but I didn't say anything as Cassandra continued.

"Everything is fine here, Mom. Yes, he met me on the beach." There was a pause. "He's nice. He said he'd show me around town, but I wanted to give you a call first. … Oh, you have to go already? Can I talk to Carl? Alright, I'll make it fast. Bye, Mom."

"Who's Carl?" I whispered to Kai. He thought on it for a moment.

"It's her brother, remember? The one Popuri thinks is really cute?" Kai replied, though he scowled as he said it. I smiled to myself, enjoying his torment, and then Cassandra started talking again.

"Carl? Hi!" she said, sounding relieved. She must've really loved her brother, because she didn't sound as distanced with him. "No, everything is fine. Of course I have. Some… What?" There was a long pause. "No, he was nice enough. … What makes you think I'm lying? … Well, I just met him, so I'll let you know after I get to know him better, ok? Yes, Popuri still lives here. No, she has a boyfriend. Why? … How do you know these things, Carl?" She laughed. "Oh, right. Have fun at work. Bye." Kai looked at me for a second, pondering all that we'd heard.

"Why does she keep lying?" Kai asked, just as I thought it. I shrugged. In all seriousness, I really didn't know why Cassandra kept lying about me. She told her family that I was nice even though I'd been anything but. She really did want to give me a second chance. I guessed. I'd truly never heard of anything like it. Kai seemed to think about it for a minute, but then we heard Cassandra's voice again.

"Hello? Hi, Joe," she said, though now she just sounded tired, despite the fact that it was only one in the afternoon. "Yeah, I miss you too."

"So she _does_ have a boyfriend," I grumbled, crossing my arms. So it was ok for her to do that to me, but I got chewed out when I brought it out in the open? What a load of crap.

"Shh," Kai said. I glared at him but stopped talking all the same.

"No, it's not that. He was at the beach when I got there. What do you mean? He's wonderful." Kai nearly laughed at that and I punched him in the arm, smirking to myself when he glared at me and rubbed his arm. "…I know, Joe. There's no point in lying to you. But Carl and Mom bought it." She laughed bitterly. "Yeah I know." There was a pause, and I thought maybe she'd hung up the phone but then she continued thoughtfully. "You know… he looks just like Blue, except with lighter hair." At that, my jaw dropped nearly to the floor. Blue? She knew my cousin? I hadn't seen him in years… Kai looked questioningly at me, but I shook my head, indicating that I'd tell him later.

"What?!" she practically shouted. "They're related? Why didn't you tell me? … That's ridiculous. Bob too? Actually, I suppose that makes sense… Yeah, he acts pretty much the same. Except that he actually hangs around people. What should I do, though? … You're right. Alright, I can't give up yet. Thanks. You're the best. Talk to you later, Joe. Bye." We heard her door open shortly after that and she presumably went downstairs, and then I explained to Kai about my cousin, Blue.

"Well," Kai said after pondering over all the information for a moment. "It does seem like she'll give you another chance."

"Who says I want another chance?" I replied, sitting down on Cliff's bed, the only one on this side of the room.

"Oh, come on, Gray. If you're going to get married to her, you should at least have a civil relationship."

"No, Kai. I don't want to talk to her."

"You're such a jerk." Kai sat on the bed next to me, crossing his arms and pouting.

"What do you care? You'll be gone in a couple of weeks anyway." His eyes seemed to glaze over for a second, and he stared out at nothing for a moment.

"Yeah…" he said, though he didn't seem quite there. He shook his head. "Fine. If you won't get to know her, I will. Then at least she'll have a friend around here. I'll even show her around since you won't." I huffed. Was he trying to make me feel bad? It wasn't working; it was just making me angry.

"Fine," I said, crossing the room to my own bed.

"Fine," Kai replied, adjusting his bandana and leaving the room. He was serious, wasn't he? Oh well. I certainly wasn't losing anything.

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was a little after one o'clock. Well, I could go to the library. Then at least my day off wouldn't be a complete waste.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **I know, I know! It's been forever since I've updated, but I've been busy! Just started school again two days ago. Hoorah; I'm a senior! ;D Hope I haven't lost any followers... updates should be more regular now, because I've already got most of the next chapter written and the one after that is completely done (I just have to type it).

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon, or _Lord of the Flies _by William Golding. Just so you know.

---

"Thanks, Kai," I said, smiling up at the tan villager. Well, I suppose he didn't really count as one of the villagers here, considering he was only here for the summer, but still. He'd offered to show me around because of what happened with Gray, but I was just glad to have someone trying to be friendly. Besides Popuri, because she had the habit of getting on people's nerves. Even mine, sometimes. And besides, Kai reminded me of Joe, sort of. He was generally cheerful and he even wore a bandana, though his was purple as opposed to red, white, and blue. Joe wasn't quite the flirt that Kai was, though. To say the least.

"No problem," Kai said, waving it off. "After all, Gray sure wasn't going to do it." He frowned. "You'll have to forgive him. He's a little moody sometimes, and his grandfather didn't tell him he was engaged until a few weeks ago." I blinked at him in surprise as we started to make our way down the path, taking a right as we left the Inn.

"A few weeks ago?" I asked, frowning. "I've known since I was nine…" Now I understood why Gray was upset. He'd probably already thought about marrying someone. Even _I _wasn't naïve enough to think otherwise. "So… uh… who was he…" Alright, so this was awkward. Luckily Kai cut me off with a laugh.

"I thought you met Gray already? And you think he had a girlfriend or something? Right," he said. Alright then… bad assumption, judging by Kai's continued laughter.

"So why is he so upset, then? Are arranged marriages unheard of around these parts?" I asked. Kai looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, kind of. They're going out of style," he said with a cheeky grin. I fought rolling my eyes and continued to listen to him. "Don't tell Gray that I told you… but his Dad and his Grandfather never really let him do anything. They control everything that he does and every part of his life, and he's just ticked that they even get to pick who he gets to marry." He paused for a moment. "Even though, from what I've seen, you aren't the bad sort yourself." He grinned at me again, and I laughed despite myself. I felt like I could be completely truthful with Kai, though if it was because it reminded me of Joe or because he'd come upstairs and talked to me while I was crying I couldn't say… even if I was almost positive that he proceeded to yell at Gray about it afterwards though I'd told him not to. The last thing I needed was for Gray to have another reason to hate me.

Did I have a boyfriend… the question had seemed ridiculous to me when Gray had asked me. What would I need a boyfriend for if I had a fiancé? After hearing what Kai had to say, though, it made more sense. I guessed I wouldn't be too happy if I hadn't been informed so early either… and yet, I didn't understand why he had to take it out on me.

"Are you still with us, Cass?" Kai said, tearing me out of my thoughts, only to send me spiraling back into them. Cass? Only one person ever called me Cass, and that was Joe. I blinked at Kai repeatedly, and he looked at me quizzically. "...Cassandra?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, smiling at him. "I was just thinking." _That I miss Joe,_ I added to myself bitterly._ And I've only been gone a day._ I sighed and Kai led me into the next building. The faded sign outside said "Aja Winery", and I immediately thought that I wouldn't be spending too much time here, if any, but I might as well introduce myself.

"Hello Manna!" Kai greeted as he walked in the building. I followed him, noting the sparsely decorated room. It was chilly in there, and looking at the plethora of wine racks lining the walls, I could understand why.

"Oh, hello, Kai!" a woman who was standing behind the counter said excitedly as she walked toward us. She was tall with brown hair and brown eyes, though she was smiling almost too big for her eyes to be seen. "And who have we here? A new resident in town? How exciting! And what's your name, dear?"

"Cassandra," I said. "Nice-"

"Oh, what a beautiful name!" she interrupted, smiling again. "My aunt's name was Cassandra. As a matter of fact…" I glanced at Kai but he just shrugged at me, indicating that she always talked this much. I tried to pretend I was paying attention, nodding in the right places and such, and luckily we were saved by a man with graying hair who walked in. After about ten minutes of this woman's endless chatter, that is…

"Manna, you're going to talk these two to death," he said, closing the door behind him. "Hello, I'm Duke. You'll have to excuse her." He lowered his voice. "She gets lonely sometimes." I nodded, becoming increasingly familiar with that feeling, and smiled.

"I'm Cassandra. Nice to meet you," I said, offering my hand. He shook it firmly before turning to Kai.

"So Kai, I assume you are giving our new resident a tour?" he said. Kai nodded with a grin. "Well then, you two should get going. See you both later."

"Take care now!" Manna said, waving us out the door before turning and talking to her husband.

"You were quiet," I said to Kai after we were back outside. He turned right once we reached the end of the street, which wasn't very far from the winery. He shrugged.

"When Manna's around, who needs to talk?" he said. I laughed. "Alright this house up here" -he pointed to a house directly ahead of us that- "Is where Basil, his wife Anna, and his daughter Mary live. Mary runs the library, which is right there." He pointed to a silo-shaped building, which was attached to the house he'd pointed at a moment before. "It'd be weird to go into their house uninvited, so we're just going to go to the library, ok?" I nodded, agreeing that it would be weird just to barge in. Especially since it didn't seem that either of us were good friends with the people who lived there.

We approached the silo building, and I saw a sign outside that said "Library" and the times that they were open and such. Kai held the door for me and I entered, astounded by the many shelves of books that were in the relatively small building. There was a girl behind a desk right up front with a stack of books on the side, and the girl looked up when she heard the small bell on the door announce our presence. She smiled and blushed a little – I guess she was shy – and pushed her glasses up her nose and stood.

"Hello, I'm Mary," she said. "Welcome to the library." She pushed a loose strand of black hair behind her ear and studied me with intelligent brown eyes.

"Hi Mary, this is Cassandra," Kai said, grinning and walking up beside me. "She's new in town, so I'm showing her around."

"Hi, Kai," Mary said, looking down at her desk., still blushing. Kai sauntered over to her desk and started flirting with her (as expected) while I went to the nearest bookshelf. One of the books was sticking out a little, as if someone had recently shoved it there and not put it away properly. I pulled it out – it was titled,_ Lord of the Flies_ – and looked it over. It seemed rather old, and I thought I remembered reading it before. There was a piece of paper sticking out near the end of the book, and I turned to that page. The piece of paper read;

_People are animals. Everything we call civilized can be broken down very easily; every person has a dark side. Every person can get caught up in fear; everyone has that primal side with the lust for blood. It's disgusting, it's something that we don't want to believe, and it's true. In the end, all civilization will fall, to be ruled by the ones who utilize their primal side in the most effective way. Likely sooner than people might expect. _

Wondering what it could be talking about, and especially if that last statement had any truth to it, I started to read at the top of the page where the paper had been.

_The dark sky was shattered by a blue-white scar. An instant later the noise was on them like the blow of a gigantic whip. The chant rose a tone in agony. _

"_Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"_

_Now out of the terror rose another desire, thick, urgent, blind._

"_Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"_

_Again the blue-white scar jagged above them and the sulphurous explosion beat down. The littluns screamed and blundered about, fleeing from the edge of the forest, and one of them broke the ring of biguns in his terror. _

"_Him! Him!"_

_The circle became a horseshoe. A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain. The beast stumbled into the horseshoe. _

"_Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"_

_The blue-white scar was constant, the noise unendurable. Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill._

"_Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!" _

_The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on his knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise, something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring, and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws. _

_Then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall. The water bounded from the mountaintop, tore leaves and branches from the trees, poured like a cold shower over the struggling heap in the sand. Presently the heap broke up and figures staggered away. Only the beast lay still, a few yards from the sea. Even in the rain they could see how small a beast it was; and already its blood was staining the sand._

My mouth went dry as I remembered; yes, I'd read this book before. This was one of the more gruesome scenes, when the boys got carried away in their 'dance' and killed the boy called Simon. I wondered who had left the note marking this page. Was there any significance to it, I wondered? I turned the paper over, but it was blank on the other side. I frowned, thinking. Sooner than expected…? Was this person serious?

"Cassie? You ready to go?" I jumped at Kai's voice, but put the paper back where it was and put the book back before Kai could see what it was. I turned to him and nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later, Mary."

"Bye, Mary, it was nice meeting you," I said. When I turned around to wave goodbye, though, I saw someone moving on the balcony upstairs. All I saw was the top of the person's head, but it was all I needed to see; a blue UMA hat. It was Gray.

Leaving, I puzzled about whether or not Gray had written that note, but it seemed unlikely. I didn't have long to dwell on it, though, because Kai was soon talking my ear off about one thing or another, and he brought me around the rest of the town. We met an old woman named Ellen and her grandson, Stu, and Mayor Thomas and his son Harris. We went to the Clinic and met Elli, Ellen's granddaughter, and the Doctor, Trent. Then we went to the church, where we met Carter, the pastor, and a young man named Cliff, who seemed rather shy and pensive.

Then we went to the south side of town, where all the farms were. First we stopped at Yodel Farm, where there were plenty of cows and sheep, owned by an old man named Barley, who was also caring for his young granddaughter May, and then we went to Chicken Li'ls, where Popuri, her brother Rick, and their mother Lillia lived. I already knew all of them, since they were friends of my family, but we stopped by and had a snack anyways, since they insisted(Rick glared daggers at Kai the entire time, but he cheerfully ignored it). The blacksmith's wasn't open, but Kai informed me that it was where Gray worked, and the last stop was a ranch where a rather friendly farmer named Claire lived. At least, she was friendly to me. Not so much to Kai.

"You can come by any time you like," she'd said. "Maybe we can go for a trail ride. I've got a spare horse." I had, of course, told her I'd keep that in mind should I ever want to take her up on her offer, but I also noticed that she seemed uneasy around Kai. He was trying to flirt with her, as usual, but she always ignored his passes and kept glancing at him nervously. He seemed unfazed by this, but I thought it rather strange. Everyone else, with the exception of Rick, thought he was a nice guy.

In any case, Kai brought me back to the Inn just in time for dinner, where we ate together until I told him I had some business to attend to.

"Ann?" I asked, approaching the bar where the young woman was drying some glasses. She looked up at me with a huge grin on her face.

"Yes, Cassie?" she said, putting the glass down on the counter and leaning over it. "Anything I can do for you?" I nodded.

"Yes, actually," I started. "I was thinking about opening up a bakery, but I don't have anywhere to run it from or the money to build anything… so I was wondering if I could open it here, during the day." She seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I don't know, that could be bad for business…" she said, frowning.

"I thought about that. I would only sell desserts, and from what I saw on the menu, the Inn doesn't, so it shouldn't interfere any." She thought about it for a moment.

"I think it'd actually be good for business," Ann's dad cut in. He had just walked in from the kitchen and approached the bar. "I have no problem with it. I'm sure we could even help you out a little…"

"Thank you, Doug," I said with a slight curtsey. "I'll pay you part of the profit…"

"Oh, no, that's not necessary. I know you're just starting out, and that's oftentimes the hardest part." Ann grinned happily. "But I think it would be better for you to run it at night. That's when we get most of the business." I nodded, not willing to argue with the man who obviously knew much more about business than I did. "I'll just have Ann show you around the kitchen. Make yourself acquainted; you'll be spending plenty of time in there."

"Let's go then!" Ann exclaimed, rounding the bar, latching onto my arm and pulling me into the kitchen. She showed me where all the cooking utensils were and how their stove worked (though I thought that was completely unnecessary), and then she asked her dad if she could come up to my room and chat for a bit. She sure was excitable…

"So what's Flowerbud Village like?" she asked, laying down on one of the other beds in my room. I sat on my own bed and thought for a moment.

"It has a lot less buildings. And what houses there are, are few and far between," I explained. "It's very woodsy." She seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"So are any of your friends going to visit any time soon?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach. Her red hair fell over her shoulder and she leaned on her elbows, excitement sparkling in her bright blue eyes. She looked so childish – and I wasn't making a stab at how short she was, either – just laying there like that. It made me feel like a kid… I nearly laughed at the thought. I was only seventeen… she was older than I was, surely!

"I don't know about soon, but maybe after I'm settled in," I said, smiling at the thought of Joe coming to visit.

"Well I was born and raised here. I don't think I'll ever be able to move away. You sure are brave, going off on your own like that." I frowned.

"I wasn't supposed to be on my own…" I mumbled. Ann perked up at that. Maybe I said that too loud.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I said, not showing an ounce of emotion on my face.

"I heard you. What did you mean, huh? Tell me!" She stood up and ran over to my bed, sitting down next to me. "I can keep a secret, I promise!" I thought on it for a second. It couldn't hurt, could it? After all, she said she would keep it a secret.

"Promise?" I asked. She shook her head excitedly. "Ok… Well, Gray and I are engaged, you know." Her jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said after a moment. I shook my head. "Oh. Well. That explains a lot."

"But anyway, things aren't going as planned, to say the least," I explained, frowning.

"Understandable. He sure does have a thick skull. Maybe I should go straighten him out…" She stood and started for the door, but I grabbed her arm.

"No! You can't do that," I said. "You promised it would be a secret." She turned back to me and crossed her arms.

"Is it a secret from him, too?" I felt myself pale and I shook my head.

"No, but I don't think he wants anyone to know, so please don't say anything. Please." After a moment, she sighed.

"Alright. But I'm going to still help you… I'll just have to be stealthy about it." Sighing, I nodded, not wanting to argue with this persistent girl all night. I mean, I could deal with that, right? What could possibly go wrong?


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Hello again everyone! After six or so months of a rather hectic senior year, yes, I am still alive. I'd be surprised if anyone was still reading this. To give me some credit, I did have a musical, just did midterms, and my computer completely crashed. I finally recovered my files and now I'm trying to catch up with all the stuff I've missed. Sorry about the temporary hiatus, here's the next chapter.

---

I didn't really talk to Cassandra for a few days after she got to Mineral Town. She was always hanging around Kai, anyways, and I was always working, so I didn't even have to try that hard to avoid her. At first, she worked at the Inn, selling baked goods (I had to respect her for getting her own job and trying to support herself), but soon enough Kai recruited her so she ran her bakery out of his Snack Shack. As a side effect of Kai spending all of his time with her, I didn't see much of Kai either. At first I was kind of glad, since all he ever talked about was Cassandra. As a matter of fact, it seemed that all _anyone_ ever talked about was Cassandra. Ann had taken a liking to her as well, so when she was at the inn the two of them were inseparable, and of course Popuri was always on my back about 'being a jerk!' to her.

Needless to say, I really wanted to avoid all these conversations and the people who created them, so I worked overtime. Which sucked, by the way, because Gramps was always giving me a hard time. It took him about three days to realize why I was doing it, too, though I thought it was kind of obvious…

"Are you trying to avoid Cassandra?" he said in his normal, grouchy manner. I glared at him but continued hammering away at the forge.

"What do you think?" I said, barely loud enough to be heard over the hammering.

"That's rude, boy," he said. I rolled my eyes and put my hammer down, wiping the sweat off of my forehead with my arm. "I'm serious. You're father would be furious if he-"

"I don't care what he has to say about any of this," I growled, moving over to the counter where my water sat and taking a huge swig of it. Gramps pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair, seeming to think about something, and he took so long that I thought maybe I should go back to doing my work. As I was about to move, though, he sighed and leaned forward again. He rested his arms on the table and looked at me in a way that wasn't angry or disappointed, for once, but was somewhat sad.

"It's a real shame how this all turned out, Gray," he said. I stared at him, feeling awkward at his use of my actual name as opposed to 'boy' or whatever insult he tended to call me. "But there is absolutely nothing I can do for you. Nothing."

"I bet you haven't even tried," I muttered, turning away.

"Boy!... Gray, I have. I have tried, but you don't understand what could possibly happen... Please, just try and be _civil_ to her, would you?" I looked at him, but his eyes were closed now and he was rubbing his temples pensively. This must've been serious if he was actually talking to me like this, so I was taken aback.

"…Fine," I said before returning to the forge. He didn't say anything else, but he looked… relieved. What did he mean, 'what could possibly happen'? I suppose he meant my father would come for a visit… I shuddered at the thought, knowing that I probably wouldn't come out of an encounter with my father without a few bruises, at least. And Gramps was acting so weird about this… It was really strange, so as soon as I finished with what I was working on I left, going straight to the Inn so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. Not only that but I went straight upstairs and sat on my bed, thinking.

"What's wrong, Gray?" I nearly jumped when I heard the soft-spoken man; I hadn't noticed him before he'd said anything. Turning around, I saw that he'd been reading in his bed when I'd come in.

"Don't do that," I said. Cliff raised an eyebrow at me, but he didn't say anything. "It's about Cassandra." With that I sat back down on my bed and watched Cliff carefully for a reaction. He'd probably met Cassandra by now, right? His gaze wandered to the ceiling and he seemed to zone out for a moment.

"She reminds me of my sister," he said finally. Inwardly, I groaned. "You know, she's really sweet." He blushed and immediately started stammering as he tried to explain himself. "I-In the platonic sense, you know, not like-" I interrupted his nervous tirade with a short laugh. I didn't really care one way or another, but I knew what he was trying to say.

"It's fine, Cliff," I said. "Your point?" He closed the book he'd been reading and put it on his nightstand, sitting up on his bed.

"You should give her a chance," he said bluntly. I sighed and averted my eyes, trying to find anything more interesting to look at than Cliff's incriminating gaze. Yes, I knew I'd been unfair to her, but the whole situation was even more unfair to me. Instead I looked at the book. _Lord of the Flies…_ where had I heard of that before? Oh, right. We'd had to read it for school.

"Why are you reading that?" I asked, changing the subject. Cliff glanced at it indifferently.

"It was on Kai's bed," he said. "I've never read it before. It's pretty interesting, actually." He paused. "Don't try and change the subject, Gray." I scoffed.

"I was just curious," I mumbled. "And no. I won't. Maybe she'll have her parents nullify the engagement." I crossed my arms defiantly, even though I'd promised Gramps that I'd be civil to her. I guess I was just an argumentative person. Cliff sighed, looked at me sadly, and then picked the book back up and continued reading.

After a few tense minutes, Kai himself barged into the room, peppy as usual.

"Hey guys!" he said, walking over to his bed. He stopped midway when he saw Cliff, and for a moment something like distress flickered across his normally cheerful features. He soon scowled and crossed over to Cliff, snatching the book. Cliff looked up at him quizzically.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to touch what isn't yours?" Kai said indignantly, stuffing the book in his bag. Cliff sat up, looking put out with nothing left to do.

"What, afraid someone might catch you reading something deep for once?" I asked sarcastically. Kai glared at me before grabbing his keys out of his nightstand.

"Yeah, that's it, Gray. Completely. How'd you know?" he replied, starting to leave again.

"Lucky guess," I mumbled. "Where are you going?"

"I have to open my store for the afternoon. Duh," he said. What was his problem today? I didn't get to wonder for very long before he grinned at me. "Cassie's going to work there with me. Have you tried her food? She's a really good cook." I rolled my eyes. Yes, I'd tried it. Unknowingly, of course, when Ann slipped me some and asked me to try it. I had thought it was Ann's… if anything could be said for the short, annoying tomboy, she sure could be sneaky when she wanted to be. "You want to come?" I nearly scoffed. Sure, I'd love to spend the afternoon with the two people I most wanted to be away from!

"Yeah, I'll come," Cliff said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and looking at me intently. Kai's look mirrored his, and I thought about what Gramps had said and sighed.

"Fine, I'll come," I agreed. If I was going to have to do this, I'd rather do it with Cliff there than by myself.

---

Ok, so maybe this wasn't the best idea ever.

Our little visit was definitely more awkward than I thought it could be, and I'd thought it would be plenty awkward.

Cliff had immediately gone into I'm-to-shy-to-speak mode, and I didn't want to be there in the first place, so Kai was left to attempt to keep conversation going. I almost felt sorry for him because he was putting so much effort into this and Cliff and I were nearly unresponsive. Not to mention Cassandra herself, who put up a good front when she was talking to us, but then she would cast Kai questioning looks, which were pointedly ignored. There was a complete lack of customers that afternoon, so after a while we sat in a painfully awkward silence while Kai and Cassandra lounged around behind the counter, too close for Cliff and me to have a private conversation.

"Can I get you boys anything? We're so slow today… I could give you a free sample, if you want," Cassandra offered. It was a nice offer, but not being too into sweets myself, and not being too into _her_, I was going to decline –

"We'd love some," Cliff said, "Just give us whatever you have." He smiled up at Cassandra before turning beet red and staring down at his lap again. She beamed back at him and rushed off into the kitchen before anyone could say anything. Of course he can talk _now_… Kai chuckled to himself as he watched the girl, and then moved around the counter to join us at our table.

"Isn't she sweet?" he said, offering a crooked grin as he spun his chair around, sitting in it backwards.

"Wouldn't know. Doesn't seem to talk much," I grumbled, refusing to meet his gaze. He glanced at me indifferently.

"Well, you don't seem to either." I'll admit he had me there… "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"It just seems to me that she's just as immature as I thought she'd be," I said, crossing my arms. Both men gave me stern looks, and I was once again reminded of my grandfather's warning. Anything to keep my father out of my hair…

"Fine, fine. I'll try," I said grouchily. Cliff gave me one of those proud, brotherly smiles that always make me feel really awkward, and Kai beamed at me before standing and moving to go back into the kitchen. Cliff and I sat in silence for a moment, and I felt myself struggling to sit still under his prying gaze. What was he doing, anyway? I tried to ignore him but finally I couldn't take it any more.

"What?" I said, somewhat snappier than I'd wanted. He didn't seem surprised by my sudden outburst; as a matter of fact, he smiled slightly, and I found myself growing irritated.

"I was just wondering what made you change your mind," Cliff said. I narrowed my eyes at him from under my hat, cursing the fact that he could see right through me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled, but Cliff smiled knowingly, irritating me further. Did my thoughts materialize on my face or something?

"Gray, I know you are more stubborn than that. You didn't just give in because you were tired of being bugged about it. Something else had to have-"

"Alright, alright," I snapped. I didn't need a psychiatrist. "Gramps said that my father would be mad and come here if I didn't be civil to Cassandra. I just don't want his ugly-ass mug to show up in Mineral Town and make my life go from the sixth level of hell to the seventh. I'm having enough trouble coping as is." He blinked at me, startled by my language, I suppose, and was silent for a moment.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked. I looked at him incredulously.

"Is he...?" I started incredulously. "Yes, Cliff, and I'll share horror stories with you later if you're interested." He paled a little and we sat silently for a few minutes before Cassandra rejoined us. She put a delicious-looking cake in front of us and beamed rather proudly. Kai came in behind her with the same goofy smile, and put two plates and forks in front of us. Looking at them, I scowled; Cassie must've been spending to much time with Kai if she shared his annoying smile now. A vague feeling that I couldn't describe went through me - was it anger? I was certainly mad at Kai for molding her to be more like her - but no, the lump in my throat didn't generally come with such emotions. Swallowing down a few choice words for the bastard, I picked up my fork while Cliff thanked them.

"Well? Are you going to stand there and _watch_ us eat?" I snapped. Kai didn't even flinch, but Cassandra seemed taken aback. Kai grabbed her arm and started to leave with her in tow; I ground my teeth in anger as I watched him.

"We're going, don't get your panties in a bunch," Kai said. He was lucky that Cliff and Cassandra were there, or I might have gotten up and beat his head in. The two disappeared into the kitchen, and we heard some hushed voices. Instead of even attempting to pay attention to what was surely Kai trying to calm Cassandra, I cut myself a piece of cake and started to dig in. I have to admit that it was good. It was really good, actually.

"Wow, Gray!" Cliff muttered. "It's amazing!" I didn't say anything, instead opting to grunt and grab another piece.

Soon enough, Kai and Cassandra came back in, though Cassandra looked significantly less happy. Kai looked the same as before, with a big, goofy smile; I was glad they didn't look exactly the same anymore and continued eating cake.

"So," Cassandra started, smiling a bit shyly. "Do you like it?" Cliff nodded emphatically before blushing in embarrassment, and I merely took another bite. Cassandra waited for me to answer and looked slightly anxious when I didn't.

"Don't worry, that's his way of saying he likes it," Kai said with a laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing. Cassandra looked slightly pleased with herself. "Well, I've got to go to town. Pick up some stuff, you know." Cassandra looked startled.

"But we're all stocked up-"

"No, no," Kai laughed. "This is why I'm in charge here!" Kai looked a tad awkward and then started for the door. "See you in a bit."

"Um, yeah, I told Carter I would help him out this afternoon," Cliff said hurriedly, setting down his fork next to his empty plate. "I should get going too." Now I started to panic. "Thank you so much, Cassie, it was delicious. Goodbye, see you later Gray." Before I could say anything, he dashed past Kai and out the door. Kai caught my eye and smirked before bowing elegantly and making his exit. Those traitorous bastards! They were going to hear it from me later... I scowled, and Cassandra shifted awkwardly for a moment before taking the seat next to me.

"So, Gray," she started, and I had to hold back a grunt. "How are you doing?" I looked at her with a brow raised; no, I wasn't buying this crap. She wasn't even trying all that hard; her smile was half-hearted, her eyes glazed over as if she were zoning out. Focusing on me, her smile faded.

"Alright," she said. "Fine, no pleasantries. What did you come here for?" I was startled for a moment.

"I wanted to work things out with you," I said bluntly, even though it was only a partial truth. Now it was her turn to be startled, though it only showed on her face for a moment.

"Am I really supposed to believe that?" she asked, though not angrily. I raised a brow and nodded. "Well... what do you propose we do then?" I was at a loss, and apparently she could tell. She smiled slightly.

"We could have lunch on Thursdays," she said. "I know that's your day off." Yes, because that's how I wanted to spend my day off. I started to scowl but caught myself and nodded, trying not to look too unpleasant. Her expression was neutral as she nodded in return. "I'll see you then. For now, I have some things to finish around here."

"I was just going," I mumbled. I stood and turned to leave, then stopped. "Thanks." I wondered briefly if that was civil enough for Gramps and then left with my hands shoved in my pockets.

---

"Gray, I'm sorry-"

"I don't want to hear it, Cliff," I said, going straight to my bed.

"No really, Gray, it wasn't my idea-" he continued, following me.

"Don't care." I sat on my bad, leaned against the headboard and pulled my hat down over my eyes.

"Gray come on, Kai said-" I scoffed at him and stood, unwilling to be talked out of my anger. I knew he was perfectly capable of doing so, so I started to go downstairs, Cliff on my tail with more apologies. He ran into me when I stopped halfway down the hall.

"Oh! Uh, hi guys," Cassandra said, seeming rather confused. I hid my face with my hat and could hear Cliff shuffling awkwardly behind me. I looked up at her and she averted her eyes, instead flashing a charming smile at Cliff. I cut my eyes at him, and he blushed furiously. We stood like this for a long, incredibly awkward moment before Kai came up the stairs, loudly as usual.

"Hey everyone!" he practically shouted. Cassandra turned around and smiled brilliantly at him. My scowl deepened as he wrapped an arm around her, causing her to blush slightly. "Cassie, you want to get dinner before you retire for the night?" She glanced at me quickly before returning her gaze to Kai.

"I'd love to-"

"Great! Let's go before the dinner crowd gets here. See you later guys," Kai added to us. Cliff remembered to wave at the last second and I just continued to scowl as I watched them go back downstairs, then stormed off to our room.

"Gray? Gray! What's the matter?" Cliff asked. He shut the door behind him, and I started to pace the room angrily.

"Did you see that?" I practically yelled at him. He looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I glared at him.

"She wouldn't make eye contact with me; she _loves _Kai. What else is new?" I continued to pace angrily.

"Are you... jealous?" Cliff asked. I stopped in my tracks and spun toward him.

"Am I jealous?! No!" I furrowed my eyebrows. "It's just that Kai..." I shook my head. "She didn't even look at me!"

"I think you're making too big a deal out of this-"

"Did I ask you?!" I snapped. Cliff looked hurt for a moment, but I set my jaw and refused to apologize before returning to my pacing.

"Yes, you did." I ignored him. "And it's simple. You're obviously jealous."

"Why would I be jealous?" I asked, working it through my brain as fast as I could.

"I don't know," Cliff said. "You tell me." We were silent for a moment as I walked angrily back to my bed, and with an angry growl sat down on it, resting my head in my hands. "Well?"

"It's Kai," I started with a sigh, hating to admit it. "No matter what girl it is, he can always get them to like him. _Always._ Even... even Mary." I thought bitterly of the day in the library, when I'd seen Kai bringing Cassandra on the tour through the town. He'd stayed in the library for at least ten minutes flirting with Mary, and she hadn't brushed him aside or ignored him like she used to. Yes, I suppose I was jealous. And why shouldn't I be? I thought she... wanted to be with me, I was going to ask her to marry me. I saw that it was a mistake now. Cliff waited patiently for me to continue. I ground my teeth and growled in agitation.

"What's he got that I don't?!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Alright, like I said before, I haven't posted in a while, but now there's going to be another chapter going up later tonight, and three chapters in a row will surely make up for it! :D Enjoy!

"What does she have that I don't?" I asked quietly, if somewhat sadly. I was at dinner with Kai; we were talking about Mary.

"Nothing, Cassie! You'll win him over soon enough," Kai reassured me. I hid the fact that maybe I didn't want to; maybe I wanted to take Gray up on his offer and do what I liked. I closed my eyes sighed; no, I couldn't do that. I would never be able to live with myself if I cheated on anyone, condoned or not. And I couldn't ask my mother to break off the engagement; she'd be crushed. She'd seemed so excited about the whole thing, if sad that I was leaving, and I wasn't about to ruin it. It had barely been three days and already I was second guessing. I wondered if it was this hard for my parents when they'd first met?

Returning to the present, I opened my eyes and looked up at Kai, noting his worried expression and smiling at him. He beamed at me.

"Thank you for dinner, Kai," I said. I didn't add that I hadn't wanted to come, that I'd told Joe and Carl that I'd call them tonight, and that after reconciling with Gray I hadn't wanted to make him angry (and the look on his face when Kai had asked me had told me that he would in fact be very angry), but just smiled and with a small curtsey I dismissed myself.

When I reached my room, I locked the door, not wanting to be interrupted, and sat on my bed. I picked up the phone carefully - it was old, I knew - and dialed my house. I waited and listened as the phone rang, and started to worry no one was home -

"Hello?" a slightly out-of-breath voice said on the other end.

"Hi, Carl," I said, a smile forming on my lips.

"Oh, Cassie! We were all outside, one of the cows just gave birth," Carl explained. "I expected you to call earlier."

"I know," I said, fidgeting with the phone cord. "I was invited to dinner last minute." Carl laughed.

"Finally got some alone time with hubby, huh?" he asked, and I could practically hear his grin. I frowned.

"No, Carl, it was with a friend," I explained, somewhat embarrassed. There was a pause. "I... I'm going to lunch with Gray next Thursday." He whooped enthusiastically.

"That's the way! Show him that charm, none of what Mom says-"

"Carl-" I interjected, but he continued.

"She doesn't know how to get a date! She never had to! Well, I suppose you don't either-"

"Carl, I-"

"But that's what I'm here for! You should wear something sexy, that's sure to grab his attention. And none of that too-polite-to-hold-a-normal-conversation crap either-"

"CARL!" I jerked the phone away from my ear and grimaced; Mother must've heard that part... I slowly put the phone against my ear again and heard her yelling, which was extraordinary in itself, considering how in-control she normally was. She _never_ yelled.

"...undo everything I've taught her? Say goodbye and give me the phone!"

"Uh, I have to go, here's Mom," Carl said. He lowered his voice. "But really, no matter what she says-hey!" There was a lot of noise, presumably of my mother wrenching the phone from my brother's hands, before anything was said again.

"Darling, don't listen to your brother," Mother started, sounding as composed as she did usually. "You'll be fine. You did say things were going well?" I swallowed down the terrible feeling I got when I was about to lie to my mother and quickly answered.

"Of course, Mother. We're getting along quite nicely," I said as convincingly as I could.

"Wonderful. You call me if you need anything, darling. Not your brother."

"Yes, Mother."

"I have to get back to your father to help with the calf. She is so precious, I'll have to send pictures," Mother said. "I will talk to you later. Take care of yourself honey."

"Yes, Mother," I said, relieved that she wasn't going to press for more information. "Goodbye." there was a click as Mother disconnected the line, an I sighed, feeling guilty. But now I could call Joe, and I felt that I really needed to talk to him right now.

I waited again as the phone rang, counting on Joe to rush to the phone, and smiling as I pictured it, but no one answered. My smile faded into a frown, and I hung up. I debated trying again for a moment, but decided against it. I didn't want to seem too much like I missed home.

_"If anything happens... or if you just need someone to talk to, just call me. Anytime, I promise." _

I remembered Joe's words to me before I'd left, and I lay on my bed, rolling over onto my stomach. Why didn't he answer? It was relatively late, and definitely too dark for him to be working. What if something had happened to him? I buried my face in my pillow as I fought back tears. Why was I crying? He was probably fine, just hanging out with his friends or something. _Anytime, I promise. _I should have known better than to think anyone back home would think about me, and now that Joe had forgotten about me, there was no reason for me to miss home.

So why did I?

I contemplated this, all sorts of thoughts weaving their way through my mind until I fell asleep.

The next day, I woke up to Kai knocking on the door. I looked at my clock, which read ten, and I frowned as I got out of bed. I walked to the door and unlocked it, and Kai looked worried, until he realized I had opened the door, then he looked relieved and smiled. He soon looked worried again, however, seeing my messy state.

"Cassie? Are you ok?" he asked. I remained as composed as I could be in my tired state and nodded.

"Yes, I was just tired last night," I replied.

"... And forgot to change, I take it?" he remarked.

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"I'm heading down to the Snack Shack, meet me there when you're ready. I'll make you something to eat," he said. "Take your time, see ya!" With that, he briskly walked away and I shut the door quietly before returning to my bed and making it, grabbing clothes and heading off to take a shower.

When I got to the Snack Shack, it was around 11:30. I'd taken a bit of time for myself, considering the breakdown that I'd experienced last night, and cleaned myself up thoroughly before leaving. I earned a few odd glances from people, probably because they knew that I was usually at the Snack Shack already and I usually didn't sleep late. Ann had even gone as far as to stop and interrogate me, but I dismissed myself saying I needed to help Kai. She wasn't happy about it, but Doug had ordered her to let me go, and so I made it without further incident.

"Hey, Cassie! Feeling better?" Kai asked as soon as I walked in. I kept my expression carefully neutral as I answered.

"I'm fine, nothing was wrong," I explained. "I was just tired." He eyed be carefully and I ventured to smile a bit before crossing the room. Kai beamed suddenly.

"Go on, take a seat at the bar," he said. I'll get your breakfast out in a second. Somewhat awkwardly, I sat on one of the tall barstools, crossing my ankles, unable to reach the floor. Just as he'd said, Kai was back in the room quickly, with a plate of eggs, bacon and toast, and he put it in front of me with a proud smile and a glass of orange juice. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you," I said, eying the plate. "But I'm a vegetarian." Kai flushed, and I offered him a smile. "You can have the bacon; I'll eat the eggs." He smiled again, grabbing one of the slices of bacon, and I started picking at the eggs.

"So what made you want to be vegetarian?" Kai asked. I swallowed my eggs and thought for a moment.

"Well, I grew up on a farm, and we raised animals generally used for consumption," I said. "We had cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, pretty much any farm animal possible. And when they got big enough they would... disappear. I wasn't stupid, I knew that when we had beef the day after our cow died that we were eating Bessie. The thought that we were eating our pets was really scary to me, so I refused to eat it."

"Ah, I see," Kai said, nodding knowingly. "I can understand that. My family was poor; anything put in front of me was not questioned." I chuckled at him and he grinned. "What are your parents like?"

"Well," I started. "My mother was very strict with me. She wanted me to be a proper lady and taught me everything I know about being polite, and also taught me how to cook and act. My dad ran the farm, and taught me about animals and farming when my mom wasn't looking." I smiled, thinking about how my mother would tell my father that the farm was no place for a lady like myself, and how dad would just resign. "And then there's my brother."

"You have a brother?" Kai asked, raising a brow at me. I nodded.

"Yes. But we look nothing alike," I explained. "He's blonde with brown eyes." Kai's other eyebrow shot up.

"But you have brown hair and blue eyes!" he said with a laugh. I nodded slowly, wondering if he was aware that I already knew that.

"He was a terror, as far as my mom was concerned. He didn't have to be as proper as I am, it drives my mother crazy," I said, smiling. "He's older than I am, and he always looks out for me."

"Sounds like you're homesick," Kai said, watching me carefully. My smile faded.

"Yes, I suppose I am," I mumbled, refusing to think about another bandana-clad boy who may also be a source of homesickness.

"I was never homesick, not even when I first moved out," Kai said, diverting the conversation to him. "I hated my parents. I went to the docks every day and one day, I snuck on board a ship. I was found, and I was going to be in a lot of trouble - the sailor who found me hit me, left me with a black eye - but the captain let me stay, so long as I made myself useful. We traveled around everywhere, and thus came my love of the sea. Oh, don't give me that face, I'm fine."

"That's terrible!" I said, pushing away my empty plate. "Those are conditions no child should ever have to grow up in-"

"But it doesn't matter how it should be, it just matters that it happens," Kai said seriously. I quieted and looked down. Kai didn't say anything as he took my plate and brought it to the kitchen. I thought about what he'd said; yes, things like this did happen... what was the government doing? Did the queen just not care? Certainly someone should have called the police.

And this got me thinking about something else; why was I feeling so sorry for myself when Kai came from such worse conditions than I did? He was perfectly happy every day. He made the best of his life, and despite the less-than-favorable conditions he grew up in he refused to let it bring him down. It was probably high time I did the same, but it wouldn't be that simple...

Kai reentered and refilled my orange juice for me. He smiled, humming to himself pleasantly, before returning the orange juice to the mini fridge under the counter. Kai eventually started up conversation again, and we talked for a while, Kai telling me about his adventures at sea. They were quite interesting, though I couldn't be quite sure what parts were fact and which were fiction... It reminded me of Joe, to my dismay, and how he used to tell tales about what fish he caught, even though I obviously knew that he was a terrible fishermen.

Kai's attention suddenly went from me to something vaguely over my shoulder, and he seemed to not like exactly what he saw. He looked utterly terrified, actually.

"Get down!" he yelled before I could even look over my shoulder. I was about to ask what he was talking about but he launched himself over the counter – no small feat, seeing as it was about four feet high – and right into me, knocking me backwards onto the floor, landing right on top of me.

At the same moment, the window exploded inward, along with what sounded like gunfire, sending tiny fragments of glass into my face.

I couldn't breathe, having been winded from the impact, but I heard voices from outside the broken window.

"What did you do that for, dumbass?" someone yelled. Kai looked up at the window, a serious expression on his face.

"Boss said to shoot him on sight," another voice answered.

"It was also supposed to be stealthy," growled the first. "And there was someone in there with him!" Kai lifted himself off of me, grimacing, before looking down at me. He sat down next to me, but I was still trying to catch my breath so I didn't move.

"Uh, Don, do you know who that was?" a third voice said. "That girl…"

"No, I don't," the first voice, Don, replied, in a slightly uninterested manner. I didn't hear what he said, because at that moment I tried to sit up only to be brought back down by a burning pain in my hip, a pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before (which isn't really saying much, I suppose, but it was pretty bad). I fought down a scream and looked down at it, only to see a curved shard of glass buried into my hip, my clothes stained with blood around it. It must've been from the glass I'd been holding when Kai tackled me, crushed between our bodies. Now that I knew it was there, and it had sent one bolt of searing pain through my body, I was acutely aware of every movement that I made and how it affected my injured hip. Kai helped me up, not without a great deal of pain, though I couldn't put any weight on my right leg due to my injury. He cursed to himself before picking me up bridal style, and though it hurt to bend my leg, we both knew there was no other way to move me around. Kai's face and shoulders had small fragments of glass and miniscule cuts, and I wondered briefly if I looked the same way. He was crouched down to stay out of sight of… whoever it was that had shot at us and he started to move to the back of the shop.

"…Shit," the voice called Don said. "Hey dumbass?" There was a pause.

"Yeah?"

"You're damn lucky you missed."

Then Kai slipped through the door to the kitchen and locked it, though it was much too small to find any place to hide effectively. Not to mention I couldn't really move. I was starting to have trouble thinking through the pain and terror that I was feeling. Kai placed me on the counter and started digging through some drawers.

"Kai," I said, breathless from the pain. "What's going on?" He looked up at me for a second, not without concern.

"Quiet," he said gently, but sternly. I decided it was in our best interests not to be stubborn and I just watched as he pulled out a pistol from the drawer. I frowned, wondering what he was doing with _that,_ and then vaguely thought about how it wouldn't be that effective against whatever guns the other guys were using. Theirs sounded like something automatic, but what did I know about it? Why did they want to kill Kai anyway?

Kai grabbed the telephone from its mount on the wall, dialed something – presumably the police – and began to talk frantically into it, though I couldn't focus well enough to make out what he was saying. I thought that I was going to faint, but I wasn't far enough gone to misunderstand what came next.

I heard the doorknob shake, as if someone was trying to open it from the other side, and then some curses. Did they really expect us to leave the door unlocked?

"We know you're in there, Kai," Don said threateningly. "We don't want the girl, just you. So bring your pretty little ass out here quietly, and we might make this quick." I looked at Kai, but he seemed unfazed, as if being threatened by criminals was completely normal for him. I wasn't sure who I should be more afraid of.

"Not likely, Don," he said. Did he know them, or had he picked up on his name like I had? "The police are on the way, so you might want to scram and try your luck another day." He was standing a few feet away from the door with the gun pointed at what would be the height of an average sized man's chest with a look of extreme concentration on his face. I was too tired to keep propping myself up, though, so I laid down on the counter, my heart pounding in my ears.

And it was at this point that I passed out.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Here's the next chapter, like I promised. :D

When I heard the news, I was furious.

I mean, I'd known Kai was trouble, he always had been, but he was bad enough to land _both_ of them in the clinic? Gramps sent me on my way the second Elli told us that Kai and Cassandra had been injured. Elli went with me, of course, but she had to practically jog to keep up.

"What happened?" I asked her, somewhat snappily.

"I... I don't know," Elli stuttered, out of breath from hurrying around in her heels. I scowled, mumbling to myself, but, despite my irritated state, I remembered to hold the door for the poor woman, earning a breathless 'thank you', and then followed her into the back room, where Kai was sitting up in a bed to my left, the Doctor sitting on a chair behind him and doing something involving Kai's back, causing Kai to flinch occasionally. Cassandra was in a bed to my right, either asleep or unconscious. I stared for a moment, earning a worried glance from Elli, before I slowly walked over to her bedside.

"Well," Kai said cheerily. I looked over my shoulder at him, waiting for him to continue. "It's about time you got here. I only wanted to talk about this once." At that, Harris and Thomas walked in, making me think that the statement was directed at them and not me. I walked over to the chair that was on the other side of Cassandra's bed and sat, examining the girl with a frown. There were small cuts littering the right side of her face and arms, and I wondered, not for the first time, what happened.

It wasn't past my notice that everyone was watching me, and I remembered Gramps' threat, grinding my teeth together. I wondered how the poor girl got wrapped up in all this, and I finally realized that it was exactly what I felt about myself. We were in the same situation, and I'd treated her like it was her fault when she didn't ask for any of this. I decided that I'd actually try to get to know her when she woke up, because, like it or not (particularly the 'or not'), we were in this together.

"Alright," Kai started, flinching again as Trent removed another piece of glass. "We were in my shop and these lunatics shot through my window." He frowned. "I managed to get us both out of the way, but the glass obviously got us." He flinched again. "I picked her up and brought her into the back room before I called you, Harris, and then she passed out. She was losing a lot of blood. Anyway, they probably would've come in if you hadn't arrived when you did. I don't know where they ran off to, but from what I saw, they looked like the guys who'd been staying at the Inn recently. The rest is history." Harris scribbled something down on a notepad before responding.

"Did you have any connection with them?" Harris asked. Kai stared at him with an eerily serious expression, which was very uncharacteristic of him and seemed rather foreign on his features.

"No. Never spoke to them before in my life," Kai said. "And I'd only seen them huddling together in the lobby of the Inn." Harris nodded, and Trent started wrapping Kai's bare chest with bandages.

"Alright. Thank you, Kai," Harris said before he and the strangely silent Mayor Thomas left the room. I shifted in my seat slightly and rubbed my thumb over Cassandra's knuckles; my calloused thumb over her soft hand. Her hand was so small in my own oversized ones... Of course, I let Kai try to befriend the girl and he almost got her killed! I wouldn't be letting it happen again...

"Ok, Kai," Trent said. "I want you to stay here tonight so I can treat your cuts in the morning. Particularly the deep one near your-"

"Alright, alright, I'll stay. Sheesh," Kai replied, waving him off. "Thanks Doc." With that, Trent nodded to me and left, Elli in tow. After they left, I raised an eyebrow at Kai questioningly. He caught my look and rolled his eyes.

"It's on my thigh," he said. "Near my _hip_ Gray." He shook his head as I laughed, secretly glad he was ok. There was a short silence.

"Look who's cozying up now, huh?" Kai commented, his eyes flickering down to my hands gently holding Cassandra's. I narrowed my eyes at him, and then shifted my gaze to Cassandra's sleeping face.

"It's not her fault," I mumbled, not entirely sure he could hear me. He stood and walked to the other side of Cassandra's bed, wearing only some boxer shorts. I narrowed my eyes at him again.

"You should be wearing more than that when she wakes up," I growled. He laughed.

"Getting possessive, are we?" Kai teased. My lips formed a thin line, my eyes narrowing even farther. Of course I was. He'd almost killed her. He looked down at Cassandra, a thoughtful expression on his face. He reached down and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. She stirred briefly before settling down again.

"So," Kai said, sitting down on the bed and grinning at me. "What brought about your decision to stop hating her?" I glared at him, pondering this for a second.

"You did," I answered after a moment. Both of his dark brows raised at me curiously. "This whole thing made me realize that she's been dragged into this just like I have. We... aren't that different." He grinned at me excitedly.

"Glad I could be of assistance," Kai said, standing and returning to his own bed, revealing many more cuts on the back of his legs. They were all over him - his arms, legs, neck, and underneath the bandages on his back.

"Kai," I asked. "Why are you all cut up like that? Cassandra doesn't look nearly as bad." He laid back down and leaned against the headboard.

"I saw the guys with guns, and one of them aimed one at us," he replied without looking at me. "I dove over the counter and knocked us both over just before the shot. The glass scattered over us, but since I was on top of her I got most of it." He frowned. "Unfortunately, she'd had a glass and it broke between us like a friggin sandwich. Sliced open my thigh and got stuck in her hip. Getting it out wasn't pretty. Be glad you weren't here. " I grimaced and looked down at Cassandra. "She's still under the anesthetic." I nodded. "She won't be up for a while." Kai looked at me quizzically, I suppose trying to decipher what my intentions were, before shrugging and turning on the small T.V. that hung above his bed, promptly ignoring me, to my pleasure.

I watched Cassandra's steady breathing for a minute before leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees and hanging my head, closing my eyes and keeping hold of Cassandra's hand.

I sat like that for a long time, only looking up when Cassandra shifted or stirred, though I couldn't really understand why. I thought that it was my fault for leaving her with Kai, and I wasn't willing to make that mistake again. Even if Kai wasn't the one who had hurt her, he had still been there. If she hadn't been with him, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

_Or maybe, _I thought, _maybe whoever it was is after Cassandra. _Nothing like this had ever happened before she'd arrived, but why would anyone want to kill her? It may have been a robbery, I supposed, though I don't know why they would shoot, or what they could possibly want from the small shack. I would just have to wait and see what Harris came up with in his investigation. Thoughts continued to swirl around in my head, and I was so distracted by them that I didn't notice my legs falling asleep.

"Gray?" I looked up to see the doctor, looking at me with an eyebrow almost imperceptibly raised. "We're closing. Cassandra will be safe with us, so if I could ask you to leave..." With one last look at Cassandra, I stood and walked by him, giving a curt nod to Kai on the way out. I couldn't believe it was four already... that meant I'd bean there for at least 3 hours, probably longer.

I went straight back to the inn, only to be bombarded by questions from Ann and Popuri.

"Where's Cassie?"

"What happened?"

"Is she ok?"

"What about Kai?" and so on. I ignored them and stalked over to my usual place at the bar, but they followed with their never-ending questions. My patience was rapidly fading away.

"Alright!" I said, finally giving in. "Someone shot at them." Group gasp. "They're fine." Group sigh of relief. "They're staying at the clinic tonight." Nervous glances all around. Now that _that _was over with...

"Can I get some dinner now?" Ann nodded and rushed off to the kitchen. After a long day, I was grateful to get some rest and I was out as soon as I hit the pillow.

However, as we all know, things can't be that simple for me.

"Gray? Gray, wake up." I moaned, rolling over and restraining myself from swinging at Cliff, who was surely very worried about what had happened. He had to be, if he was risking waking me just to hear about it. "Gray, come on."

"What?" I snapped, sitting up and rubbing my eyes irritably. "I don't know what's going on, so everyone should stop asking me!"

"Ann told me someone shot in the Snack Shack. The window is completely shattered," Cliff said, a worried expression etched on his face. I clenched my jaw, not exactly wanting to think about what could have happened.

"That's about all I know," I said, laying back down.

"They're at the clinic! Were they ok?" Cliff asked, refusing to leave it alone. Once again I sat up, leaning against the headboard and pinching the bridge of my nose. The quicker I got him off my back, the quicker I could go back to sleep.

"Kai had a lot of glass all over him," I explained. Cliff urged me to continue. "Cassandra... had to have surgery. She had a shard of glass stuck in her hip or something." Cliff paled. "She was asleep the whole time I was there."

"Goddess..." Cliff muttered. "I'm sorry, Gray." I raised a brow at him.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything," I snapped. He looked offended. "Can I go back to sleep now?" He frowned and nodded, and I laid down, turning away from the light and going back to sleep.


	13. Chapter 12

I woke up feeling quite groggy. Looking around, the first thing I noticed was that this was not the inn. There was a dim light coming from outside a window to my left. Judging by the curtains surrounding me and the sanitary smell of the place, I guessed I was in the clinic.

"Finally awake, huh?" My head jerked toward the voice, causing my vision to blur for a second, but I relaxed. It was only Kai. "I'm glad. You've been out for a while now." He yawned before grinning at me in what I thought was an exhausted way.

"Have you been waiting up for me?" I asked, though my words were a little slurred. Kai smiled deviously.

"Of course not," he said, though it was obviously true. His smile faded and he looked at me seriously. "Hey, you just had surgery, so try not to stress out or anything. I guess they really drugged you up, since you aren't in pain right now. The glass that was in your hip scratched your bone." I shuddered, sitting up a bit to look down at myself, but I had forgotten that I was under blankets, and I didn't feel like moving them. I wondered if my movements would have been coherent enough to if I tried. I frowned.

"What happened today?" I asked, once again slurring, though my thoughts were finally starting to come back to me. Kai propped himself up on an elbow and faced me.

"Well," he started. "We were in the Snack Shack when some weirdos with guns decided to shoot at us." I looked at him blankly, and he smiled sadly. "Don't worry about it, they were after me." I glanced at him nervously and he smiled back at me. "Have no fear, I don't go down that easily. But listen," he said seriously. "You can't tell anybody about this. Nothing. We were attacked and we don't know who they were. That's all." His voice dropped in volume as he talked, and I nodded slowly, confused.

"My lips are sealed," I assured him, just as quietly.

"Good." We lay in silence for a while, and I could hear Kai's breathing start to slow as both of us started to drift to sleep. And perhaps I imagined it, but I thought I heard him say something bizarre before I went to sleep:

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll protect you."

* * *

"Cassie? CASSIE!" I was startled awake and turned my head, still feeling rather groggy and tired.

"Sir, she's recovering you can't just-"

"Joe?" I questioned, seeing the man storm into the room excitedly. I wasn't sure how I should feel about his sudden appearance, but I had to laugh at the doctor's annoyance.

"Where?!" another familiar voice called, and I heard light footsteps on the tile floor. Carl appeared in the room behind the doctor, who was trying to hold Joe back. "Cassie!" Both of them stormed past Trent, leaving him flustered and very angry looking, but no one paid him any attention. They approached either side of the bed, both talking excitedly and asking a thousand questions, most of which I couldn't hear.

"You guys," I said, my voice raspy, and unheard over their questions. "Guys!" They quieted. "Calm down, please, I can't understand you. How'd you know I was in the hospital?"

"Popuri's mom called us," Carl said. "And I told Joe. We left on the first boat. Sorry we couldn't get here earlier." I looked at him incredulously.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Joe said. He bent down and hugged me tightly, lifting me a little off the bed, causing me to hiss in pain. "Oh! Sorry." He looked at me worriedly, but I smiled slightly at him.

"It's ok, I guess my pain medication is wearing off," I explained, even though I hadn't taken any; if pain medication was in my system, it was because it had been injected.

"Hey, some people are trying to watch T.V. over here!" Kai yelled from his side of the room. I looked over at him; it was strange to see him without his bandana on. His hair was unruly, sticking up in all directions. I smiled at him tiredly. "And you didn't introduce me to your friends." He stood and got out of bed, wearing long purple sweats that would have matched his bandana.

"This is Joe," I said, and Joe smiled unsurely at him and nodded. "And this is my brother Carl."

"Oh! Well you were right about not looking the same, I would've thought this one was related to you," Kai said, nodding toward Joe. He beamed at us. "I'm Kai."

"Nice to meet you," Joe said awkwardly, and I noticed he was scrutinizing Kai wearily. Kai, for his part, ignored him, and I frowned at the bandages wrapped around his torso. I had come away relatively unscathed thanks to him - the fact that he'd pushed me over kept us both from being shot, and he'd landed on top of me, which kept most of the glass from cutting me, with the exception of the shard in my hip. He'd had some rather large glass shards in his back, from what I understood. Joe needed to treat him with respect; but I decided to put that off for another time.

Everyone congregated around my bed and we sat talking for awhile, much to the ire of Dr. Trent, and eventually he made them leave so he could check on us. They only went out into the lobby, though; I could hear them talking, probably bothering Elli. Trent checked Kai first, making sure his stitches were still in place on his thigh, and then he told him Kai was free to go. As for me, after some painful prodding and disinfecting, I was informed that I was not allowed to leave, at least until he could find someone to care for me while I recovered. I was rather upset by the prospect; I'd had my independence for less than a week and it was snatched away from me.

"What am I supposed to do, Doctor?" I asked, trying not to sound whiny.

"Elli and I will try to make arrangements," Trent said, scribbling something down on a clipboard. "When we work something out, we'll let you know." I nodded, smiling slightly as to hide my disappointment. Trent left the room and Kai sat on the side of my bed.

"Dang, they don't trust me with you anymore," Kai said with a scowl much like that of my fiancé's. I offered him a small smile but didn't get a chance to respond before Joe came in again. He glared at Kai for a moment before beaming at me.

"Hiya Cass!" he said in his usual, excited manner. I attempted to sit up a little bit, somewhat painfully, but Kai had to help me sit all the way up. I smiled at Joe, hiding the pain, and hoping my new dose of pain medicine would make it go away in a few minutes. Kai stood suddenly, as if remembering something, but relaxed after a moment.

"Right, I'm going to check the damage to my shop. I'll be back later," Kai said. "See ya!" With that he was gone, and I was left in an awkward position, alone with Joe.

"Where's Carl?" I asked after a long pause. Joe looked a little put out that this was the first thing I'd say to him, but he smiled through it.

"Oh, he went to get your mom," he said. "She's supposed to be getting here later." I nodded and hummed, unable to get comfortable with my leg, and Joe frowned.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, finally finding a comfortable position.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. I remembered my promise to Kai and debated for a moment; did I really want to lie to my best friend?

"Some people shot through the shop window," I explained simply.

"Why?" Joe pressed, rather predictably.

"I don't know," I lied. Or, rather, half-lied. They were after Kai and wanted nothing to do with me... remembering what they'd said about me, about the guy who shot being "lucky he missed", a puzzled expression spread across my features. What was so important about me, anyway? I couldn't even think who to ask. In any case, I didn't know _why_ they were after Kai, so it technically wasn't a complete lie... but it bothered me still.

Joe must've misinterpreted my puzzled expression because he wrapped an arm around me and hugged me.

"It's ok, Cass," he said. "It'll be alright."

And after what had happened, I wasn't so sure.

Soon enough, Carl and Popuri arrived with my mother, both of whom prodded me for information that I couldn't give answers to, and after a few hours Carl took her back to Popuri's house, along with the pink-haired girl herself. She wanted to stay with me, but Mother made her go under the pretense of taking care of her own mother, leaving me once again alone with Joe.

This didn't last long, however. It was shortly after one o'clock when Gray arrived looking rather irate as usual. He strode across the room and to my bedside without acknowledging Joe, and hesitated for just a moment.

"You're coming home now," he said, not looking at me.

"Gray has agreed to take care of you, so you can go back to the inn now," Trent said, appearing from seemingly nowhere. "Try to stay off your feet for a few days, and I'll bring you pain medication later tonight. I'll get your crutches." With that, he disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared. Joe glared at Gray, who was looking at the floor, and I shifted in my bed, feeling somewhat awkward and really tired.

"Thank you Gray," I said, and both men stared at me in shock. He didn't respond, but grunted and continued staring at the floor. Joe looked rather put out but said nothing. "This is Joe. Joe, this is Gray." Neither of them said anything, but stood in silence.

Soon Trent returned with my crutches, and he helped me get out of bed causing the least amount of pain possible, which was still a lot. He eased me onto the crutches and sent me on my way, with Joe attempting to help me. Gray led us back to the inn and offered to buy lunch, somewhat grudgingly, it seemed, but I was still surprised.

"Where are you staying, Joe?" I asked after we had been seated and our orders filled.

"Well your mom and Carl are staying at Popuri's, but-"

"Cassie!" Ann yelled as she ran over to our table, interrupting. Thankfully, she had the sense not to hug me. I was sitting quite awkwardly to avoid the pain anyway; leaning back with my right leg stretched out as far as I could. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

"That's good," she said, nodding. "Everyone's been coming here to ask what happened. Gossip is going around like crazy." She sighed. "I'm just glad you're ok!"

"Me too," I replied. "This is Joe, he's my friend from back home."

"Nice to meet you!" she said with a bow. Joe gave her a flashy smile and said the same. "I have to get back to work, but you can catch me up later, alright Cassie?" I nodded, and she left.

The table was tense throughout the meal, and I was forced to keep up conversation. Gray didn't say much and Joe kept giving him odd looks. When we were finished, Gray paid and grunted a farewell, saying he'd be back to take care of me later, and Joe helped me up the stairs to my room, holding my crutches in one hand and supporting me with the other. It was a lot of trouble but I finally got into my bed, wishing to take a nap.

"Thank you, Joe," I said tiredly. "You never told me where you were staying..." There was a long pause in which I almost fell asleep.

"I'm staying in here."

All of a sudden, I felt wide awake again. I sat up, only to fall down again in pain. Joe rushed to my side, worrying over me, but I waved him away.

"What?" I said, completely losing my usual politeness. "Why?" Joe looked hurt for a moment.

"This is the only room in the inn that isn't already occupied," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Joe," I said, exasperated. "I can't share a room with a _man_, mother will kill me!" He frowned at me.

"She already knows. She wasn't happy about it but there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry if it's that terrible." There was a pause before I sighed.

"Well if Mother doesn't care, then I'm fine." I rolled onto my side, feeling incredibly awkward.

"Cassie, what's wrong?" Joe asked. "You haven't been yourself." I felt like telling him that he would act strangely too, if his hip rendered his leg unusable, but instead I told him the truth.

"Joe, you promised you'd be there for me when I needed you. A few days ago I needed you and you weren't there."

"What are you talking about?"

"I called you the other night and you didn't answer. And it was at night, so don't say you were working. You promised anytime." He sighed.

"I was... on a date."

"What?!" Once again I sat up to stare at him, once again falling down. I didn't understand why I was so angry at him for this, it was his business and he certainly had the right...

"With Katie. I'm sorry..." Joe said, reaching out to me. I ignored him, rolling over again. I watched as he left the room, leaving me to sleep.

I didn't sleep at all. I kept thinking of Joe and why I was so mad at him. This was stupid. He was my best friend. It took me a few hours of deep thought to come to a realization.

I was jealous. Which meant that I must've liked Joe.

What a disaster this was turning out to be.


	14. Chapter 13

I was slightly overwhelmed, truth be told.

What was I supposed to do with all these _people? _Everywhere I went, someone that had something to do with Cassie wanted to talk to me. Joe treated me with hate, granted, but Kristen and Carl struck up conversation all the time. Couldn't they see I just wanted to be left alone? They could've asked anyone; I always wanted to be left alone.

Fortunately for me, they were going to leave soon. Unfortunately for me, I had to take care of Cassandra.

Gramps had said he'd give me a paid vacation, and at that I'd agreed; I hadn't known that it had the condition of taking care of Cassandra. That wasn't so bad, considering every day I had to put up with Gramps, who was multiple times worse.

The thing was, I didn't know how to handle it. What was I supposed to do, just go to her room and say "Gray's Cripple Service, what can I do for you today?" And to make things worse, Joe was living in her room with her. Should I just let him handle it? It'd sounded like they'd had a tiff earlier, so I wasn't even sure where Joe was. I'd heard him leave a while ago. What if she needed to get up? With a sigh, I decided to go check on her, half wishing Cliff had been there to give me some advice.

I quietly opened the door to her room, poking my head in. The late afternoon sunlight shone through the window, illuminating her sleeping form on the bed closest to me. A suitcase that I assumed belonged to Joe was on the bed against the opposite wall. I frowned; for some reason the bandana-clad boy had taken an instant dislike to me - not that I minded much - but I wondered why for a moment before scoffing. I didn't like bandanas or people who wore them anyway.

I entered the room silently, moving over slowly to her. It seemed she was still asleep, even though she stirred lightly. With a sigh, I decided I'd best leave-

"Gray?" her quiet voice called to me groggily. I pulled my hat down over my eyes and grunted at her in response. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to check on you," I said quite bluntly. "I heard Joe leave." She rolled onto her back, looking very much like she wanted to get up, so I walked over and offered help. She gave me a smile unlike any she'd shown me before, in that it was actually genuine. It always seemed that, when she'd smiled at me before, it'd been fake, to cover up the fact that she perhaps didn't like me. Understandable, I'm sure, but I much preferred the easier, blunt method of just telling people when I don't like them. I helped her to sit up and noticed she hadn't changed from the clothes the clinic had given her, some rather uncomfortable pajamas, it looked like (no, we didn't have hospital gowns). I raised a brow at her.

"I was tired," she said, before I could comment. My perpetual scowl faded temporarily; I liked that I didn't have to say as much when I was around her, and I had to admit that it would be a great perk, if it hadn't been just a lucky guess. There was an awkward pause.

"So... uh, is there anything I can get for you?" I asked gruffly, staring at the floor and tugging at my hat again. "Are you hungry?" Cassandra smiled slightly and shook her head.

"No, but is Trent here yet? My medicine has worn off." I glanced at the clock; it read five. I didn't say anything but briskly left the room, looking over the railing and into the main part of the inn. No, Trent was not here, and I returned to Cassandra with the news.

"I'll go get it for you," I said. That was the thing about the clinic; Trent was a busy guy. He would probably be much later, if he hadn't gotten here by now. Of course, I didn't know why I was so eager, perhaps because I didn't think anyone deserved to be in pain because of Kai - or at all, unless it was, in fact, Kai. And even then, only if I caused it. Which, coincidentally, I never had. But I'd wanted to on many occasions.

In any case, I made my way to the clinic fairly quickly. Trent was in his office doing paperwork, as usual, and a flare of my temper made me want to barge in. He couldn't stop for ten minutes to walk to the inn and back? It didn't matter now; I was already here. I approached Elli at the counter, and she smiled at me.

"Hi Gray, is everything alright?" she asked. I eyed her warily. Did she forget that Cassandra had been here for the past two days unable to walk? She shifted awkwardly, obviously picking up on my annoyance. "Can I get you anything?" Holding back an impatient sigh, I decided I'd explain.

"I'm here for Cassandra's medicine," I said gruffly. She looked at me, puzzled.

"Joe already came and got it," she explained. And my eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you knew." She searched my face for emotion, but I provided none but my usual scowl.

"Thanks," I said impatiently, slightly irate, deigning to save my anger for someone more deserving. Maybe Kai... where was he, anyway? No one had seen him since he'd left the hospital earlier that morning. With a huff, I returned to the hotel to see Joe heading upstairs. I must've just missed him... Apparently he was trying to get back on Cassandra's good side, which couldn't be entirely _too_ hard considering the people who were already on it.

I felt slightly put out when I realized that I was, in fact, not on her good side.

I started up the stairs behind Joe, stopping near the open door to Cassandra's room.

"... you, Joe," I heard Cassandra saying, sounding slightly more monotone than usual. Maybe she was still mad at Joe? I debated standing and listening, but couldn't bring myself to move.

"Come on Cassie, look at me. I'm still your best friend..." Joe whined at her. I rolled my eyes.

"Joe," she said stiffly. "Will you fetch some water for me?" Her tone was icy; yes, she certainly hadn't forgiven him. He agreed sadly and I took this as my moment to walk by and go to my room. Joe bowled into me unexpectedly - what, she didn't have glasses in her room? There's such thing as a sink in the bathroom. I looked down at Joe irately and he looked up at me in surprise. His face twisted in annoyance. I glanced up at Cassandra, who watched with her brows raised fractionally from where she sat on the bed, and then looked back down at the carpenter.

"Sorry," he said, flashing a smile that was obviously for Cassandra's benefit. "Didn't see ya there!" I didn't say anything, but just continued on my way.

---

"Gray, what're you doing here?" Cliff said when he got back from work. I looked up at him from my bed, where I'd lain bored ever since I'd gotten there.

"I live here," I said, sitting up, thankful for the distraction. Cliff gave me a slightly incredulous look before continuing.

"I mean, why aren't you with Cassie?" he explained, as if I hadn't known what he was talking about.

"Joe is," I replied with a shrug. Cliff frowned. "It just means I get a few days paid vacation without the catch."

"Isn't that cheating, or something?" Cliff said. I had the urge to tell him his ignorance was showing but I thought better of it.

"Her friend will take care of her, probably better than I could," I voiced, despite the fact that I hadn't wanted to. Cliff's eyes widened slightly in surprise, probably because I'd actually expressed an emotion that wasn't anger. I must've been getting soft.

"She's your responsibility," Cliff said sternly. I rolled my eyes.

"She isn't a dog, Cliff," I mumbled. He continued.

"You checked her out of the clinic and Trent thinks she's with you. What if he comes to check on her and you aren't there? He'll probably take her back-"

"And would that really be that bad?" I snapped, already knowing that yes, it would. Clinics are definitely not the most pleasant place to be. He paused for a moment. Then, just as he was about to continue the door opened.

"Hey guys!" Kai said as he entered. His hands had bandages around them and a few scratches littered his face, but otherwise he looked normal, including his annoying, bright smile. "Did you miss me?"

"Not really," I came back with easily. Being dramatic as always, he put a hand over his heart and gave me a hurt expression.

"And after I saved your beautiful fiancé?" he said, and I grit my teeth. "No gratitude at all?" I ignored him, but Cliff seemed happy to have him back. I didn't quite understand that, but soon I figured it out.

"Hey Kai," Cliff said eagerly. "Don't you think Gray should be taking care of Cassie right now?" Kai frowned, growing serious.

"Why aren't you?" he asked me. I glowered at Cliff and gave the same answer.

"Joe's taking care of her."

"What?!" he said incredulously. "You're letting him move in on your woman?" I scoffed. Did she really count as 'my woman'? I thought not.

"Let him do what he wants," I said. I was a little mad, yes, but not enough to demand that the younger boy allow me to take care of a helpless girl. Of course, with my first paid vacation ever, I really didn't know what to do with it... Not like there were many options in this town. I liked to mine, but that was about it. And that would be the same as working.

My first paid vacation, and I was going to die of boredom.

"Check this out," Kai said, sitting down next to me. I glared at him and crossed my arms. "What would happen if, say, Joe actually won her over? She wouldn't have any need for you, but I doubt she would cheat on you."

"Then she could call off the wedding and we could move on with our lives," I pointed out, failing to see the bad side. Kai frowned and shook his head.

"No. She wouldn't do that either," he continued. "So you both would be stuck in a loveless marriage, and you would be miserable." He paused. "Even more miserable than you are." I glared at him again, scowling.

"Impossible," I said simply. He stared at me for a moment and I could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"Gray," Cliff interjected suddenly, and both Kai and I turned to him. He was standing nearby with his arms crossed, a look that I couldn't quite read on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. "It would be kind of sad if you couldn't win her over." My temper flared.

"I don't want to!" I hissed. He held up a hand at me, silencing me momentarily.

"And it would be downright pathetic if you couldn't, and Joe could," he continued. My anger started bubbling again, but I bit my tongue and allowed him to speak. "He's a _child_ Gray. Cassie needs someone capable." Slowly, unexpectedly, my anger began to subside. I sat silently for a moment.

"If you let this continue," Kai added. "That's what's gonna happen." Kai wrapped an arm around my shoulder, but I was too busy contemplating to notice.

"Plus, we don't want a visit from your dad," Cliff said. I felt my face pale slightly; no, that would _not_ be a good thing. I thought about the last time I'd seen my dad... yeah, I definitely would avoid that at _all_ costs. Not that I was scared. I just didn't want to put up with his shit or his creepy friends he always had hanging around. Or "business partners" as he'd liked to call them. It wasn't as if I hadn't seen the guns...

But was all this really enough to try to court someone I didn't really know that well or like all that much? Kai must've seen my expression change, because he added;

"Well, I guess he _is _better-looking than you... not as handsome as me, but..." With that, I threw off his arm and stood. Without a word, I started to leave the room, and without looking I knew that Kai and Cliff were staring at me. I shut the door behind me and went to my fiancé's room, ready to kick some teenage-wanabee's ass.

---

**Author's Note: **No carpenters will be hurt in the making of the next chapter... maybe. :P And yes, Kai and Cliff totally just played on Gray's competitiveness and jealousy, along with his anger and hate, to make him agree. Oh, how easily manipulated that poor boy is! R&R, por favor.


	15. Chapter 14

---

I was feeling very prickly toward Joe right at that moment. I didn't want him here - I didn't want to be tempted. I just wanted Gray, this way maybe I could teach myself to like him.

"Come on Cassie," Joe pleaded with me. "I want to help you."

"No!" I said, in a cross between anger and panic. I glared hostilely at him in a way that I'd never looked at anyone before. "I just want Gray. Go get him." Joe looked incredibly hurt, but the sooner I pushed him away, the better... Or so I hoped. He shook his head solemnly.

"Look, Cassie, we need to talk-" Joe didn't get to finish, however, because the door flew open. Both of our heads jerked toward the door, and we saw Gray, looking awkward and angry at the same time. I perked up a bit at his presence, ignoring the constant throbbing in my hip as I lifted myself up slightly. Joe looked rather dismayed, but I ignored him.

"Joe, leave," he said solemnly, and quite abruptly. I sank back into my pillows in relief, which were stacked behind me with the pillows from the vacant bed to keep me in a semi-sitting position. I really didn't want to be a part of this conflict, and I hoped that Joe would just give in...

"No, I paid for this room," Joe said, and I held back a sigh. Why did he have to be so stubborn? I really couldn't trust myself with him anymore, and I thought perhaps I might get over it if I didn't have to see him... but then again, did I really want to? Joe had been there for me my entire life. I remembered when he'd asked me about who I'd pick if I had the choice... and I couldn't help but think he'd be the one.

Which made him all the more dangerous to my cause.

I made my face as blank as possible and watched Gray's eyes flicker to me. I smiled slightly at him and offered a short nod, and it seemed as if he ground his teeth for a moment.

"Take my room." Joe and I stared at Gray for a moment. That was surely unexpected. Joe floundered, but eventually, grabbed his still packed suitcase and started to leave. He turned and gave me one last, sorrowful look before departing, to which I could only frown. Gray shut the door behind him, though he hadn't brought any clothes with him, so I assumed that idea was relatively last minute. He stood awkwardly for a long moment before sighing and turning to me. I smiled tiredly at him.

"Thank you," I said, getting comfortable again. He seemed a bit puzzled, like he was going to ask me what was going on, but didn't. I felt exhausted, but I didn't want to let Gray sit there by himself. I eyed him sleepily, trying to think of something for him to do, but he left without saying anything and returned a few moments later with a book. I didn't catch the title, but I didn't much care at the moment either. I was quickly falling asleep, but was thankful that I didn't have to worry about Joe. Frowning and dismissing the man from my thoughts, I settled into my mountain of pillows and quickly fell asleep.

---

_This was it. I was walking down the isle in an extravagant gown that I didn't remember buying. I was nervous, clinging to my father's arm for dear life. This was a plunge I wasn't sure I was ready to take, no matter how excited I'd been about it. That was up until a year ago... I hadn't met him, and I'd learned that Joe had been right. This wasn't going to work. I'd tried and tried, but Gray just wouldn't accept me. He barely even spoke to me, but I was supposed to be ok with that. My parents wouldn't have listened even if I had begged them to pull me out of it anyway. _

_It was much too late as it was. _

_My father offered me a small smile, which was only slightly reassuring, and I turned to Gray, staring wide-eyed at him from underneath my veil. He didn't seem impressed. I listened nervously to Carter until we had to say our vows, and with one glance at my expectant mother I knew I had to do this. We both said "I do", and Gray lifted my veil and leaned in... _

_Gray was dead. We'd never been married, but I was at a loss. What was I supposed to do now? Carl's fiancée had died, I knew, and he'd moved on easily enough. But he'd never met the girl... Gray hadn't deserved that, even if it left me free to do as I chose. I married Joe instead. I couldn't help but feel a void for the man who I'd barely met but to whom I'd been betrothed. Joe loved me, I knew that, but I still thought of him as my best friend... but as long as he was happy it would be ok... _

_In front of me stood two children. One had dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes, with a scowl that mirrored that of his father's. The other was beaming at me, with unruly brown hair and happy cerulean eyes looking into mine, an exact copy. These were my children, from two different fathers; I knew this, and it distressed me and confused me to no end. How could I choose one over the other? I knelt down and hugged them both, crying..._

_I felt blank. I stared out over the ocean, knowing that there was nothing for me to return to. I was older now, and had lived out my life in Mineral Town with Gray... and although we'd never loved each other, I felt terrifyingly empty at his loss. He was gone, and he left me nothing... not even children. It was too late for me to be happy, too late for a second chance, too late for anything... my heart ached, and a blackness consumed me..._

After terrifying nightmares plagued me for most of the afternoon, I finally awoke. I was panting and scared, and the first thing that I wanted was to talk to Carl. I had no idea how long I'd been asleep for, but I was still exhausted... I could hardly think straight. Back at home, I'd always just went in with my brother so he could make me feel better, because my parents did not have the patience. I wondered briefly where he was, and after looking around, I saw in the dim light a figure sleeping in the bed across the room from me. Squinting at the person, I saw it was a man with messy blonde hair... it could very well have been Carl. It looked like he was asleep, and I rubbed my eyes tiredly. My vision blurred a bit and I yawned, sitting up.

"Carl?" I said, my voice scratchy from sleep. He didn't move at all. Frowning, I struggled to sit up and slid my legs over the side of the bed, grabbing my crutches. My leg didn't hurt very much just then, probably because of the medicine I'd taken earlier. The thought was gone as quickly as it had come, as the only thing I could think about was getting to my brother and going back to sleep. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep by myself; at home I'd tried many times before when I'd had nightmares to no avail. I slowly made my way over to where my brother was asleep, and it didn't cross my mind once that he was supposed to have been staying at Popuri's with my mother. With a little bit of trouble, I sat on the bed, leaning my crutches up against the wall and turning off the lamp, which wasn't all that bright but to my eyes seemed brighter than the sun. My eyes felt much better in the relative dark, though some faint sunlight shone in through the windows, showing it was still afternoon. It didn't matter to me; I was exhausted.

With little trouble I lay down, ignoring the faint, distant throbbing in my leg. With another yawn, I made myself comfortable; the bed was big enough so that me and Carl weren't right next to each other but still too small for us to spread out. The man grunted in his sleep, making me almost remember something but in my tired state I couldn't grasp the idea.

It wasn't long before I was asleep again.

---

I woke up still feeling sleepy, but I was feeling much better. I felt a presence beside me, and I thought perhaps I was laying on someone's arm. Drowsily, I rolled over onto my side, my eyes closed to keep any intruding light out. With a yawn, I opened my eyes, and in the beams from the streetlight outside my window I saw that there was indeed someone laying with me. I furrowed my brows, not remembering much, and waited for my eyes to adjust.

I screamed when I saw who it was.

Gray was sleeping with me, an arm underneath my neck like a living pillow. I tried to sit up, sending pain through my hip, and the scream tore him from his slumber and he sat bolt upright in the bed, his hair a mess without his hat to keep it tame. He looked around frantically for a moment and saw me. I searched my mind, wondering why I was here. I certainly didn't remember laying down with him -

His puzzled expression met my terrified one, and we held each other's gazes for a moment before both of our heads snapped to the door, which had just flown open to reveal two silhouettes in the doorway. One reached inside and hit the main light switch, and I paled when I saw Joe and Carl staring at us, obviously in shock.

Carl... that was right, I had thought it was Carl who I'd climbed into bed with, but it turned out to be Gray. Feeling much less alarmed, embarrassment could now take over, and I fought blushing as I saw Joe's worried expression and Carl's mischievous smile. I floundered, opening my mouth to say it wasn't what it looked like, but closing it again when I saw Kai and Cliff appear behind the other two. This just kept getting better...

Gray, finally realizing what was going on, got out of bed as quickly as possible, his face red all the way up to his hairline. He reached up to his head, apparently grabbing for his hat, and upon finding it wasn't there, his face became even redder, if that was possible. He turned around and saw his hat on the bed, glaring at it as if it had betrayed him, and then he snatched it up and shoved it on his head, pulling it down over his eyes and hiding most of his features. I brought my emotions under control like my mother had taught me to, and I sat up a little bit to make myself seem more confident. I put on my best indifferent look and addressed the congregation forming at the doorway.

"Gentlemen," I started, and all attention turned to me. "I just had a bad dream. There is nothing going on here, so if you would please leave, it would be deeply appreciated." Cliff and Kai stared at me incredulously, Joe looked worried and Carl raised a dirty blonde brow at me while crossing his arms. He hated it when I acted like this but it was too bad; I couldn't handle this without pulling back into my shell. With one last, jealous glare at Gray, Joe turned around and left. Kai and Cliff exchanged a look, and then Carl ushered them out, knowing that it would be best if they just left us alone. Which was what I wanted, until I actually got it.

Gray and I didn't say anything for what felt like forever, and the silence was pungent and incredibly awkward. He shifted uncomfortably, but I wasn't sure where he was looking due to the shadow over his eyes. That hat sure could be bothersome...

When I couldn't take the silence anymore, I sighed loudly and tried to sit all the way up. Gray moved to help me, but the thought of what had happened earlier made us both rather uncomfortable about the prospect and I motioned for him to stop. He looked at me quizzically as I sighed, thinking of a way to get out of this awkward situation.

I didn't have to think very long though, because Gray had a few things to say for himself.

"What the hell were you doing in my bed?" he said, obviously trying to hold back his distress. I paled in embarrassment.

"I thought you were Carl," I explained quietly. He raised a brow at me. "I was half asleep."

"You sleep with your brother?" he asked, in a tone halfway between bewilderment and annoyance.

"Sometimes," I said, sticking my chin up confidently. Or so I hoped. He didn't really know what to say to that, so he quieted, though it was obvious that he was still seething. He was reconsidering switching places with Joe and I felt guilty for repaying his small kindness in such a way. I bit my lip. "I'm sorry." There was a tense silence once again. I decided that I'd try to get up and get back into my bed, but my hip burned and protested at the slightest movement. With a hiss, I fell back a bit, but was unwilling to ask Gray for help. I slowly moved so that my legs were over the side of the bed, biting my lip to hold in a squeal of pain, and waited for the throbbing to die down before I reached for my crutches and attempted to stand. With something between a grunt and a sigh, Gray appeared at my side and helped me stand. I offered him a small smile as he helped me to my bed, and without a word he fetched me water and I swallowed a few more pain pills. I glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost ten o'clock, but didn't feel tired in the least. Gray sat back down with his book, though I saw him look up at me, scrutinizing me, and I felt self-conscious. I had no idea what I was going to do with myself, besides feel awkward.

Soon enough, however, the medicine's side-effect of drowsiness had me falling asleep.

---

**Author's Note: **Well I had so many problems writing this, and I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it. But one of my friends from , pokemonrul432, helped. Thank you!

Also, I edited this because I forgot some things... so yeah. XD


	16. Chapter 15

I couldn't sleep at all that night.

After a while, I couldn't even continue reading by the dim light of the bedside lamp because I was so distracted. Marking my page and setting down the book, I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

How could she _sleep_ with me? It had obviously startled her when she'd woken up beside me - seeing as she screamed and all - so she couldn't have been lying. Kai sure was going to have a field day with this later, though... good thing he was leaving in a few days.

If anything, I was somewhat offended that she'd screamed when she'd woken up. Did I just have that kind of face? With a scoff, I realized what I was thinking and dismissed it. I didn't care what she thought about me _or _my face.

I looked up at the girl, who was sleeping peacefully. If she'd been unable to sleep earlier like she'd said, then her nightmares must have receded. Either that or the medicine dropped her into a dead sleep that not even dreams could penetrate. She was very pretty as she slept, though her hair was a mess from being bedridden for a few days, and a bruise had formed on her jawbone. From the looks of it, she was lucky that whatever fall she'd taken at the Snack Shack hadn't broken her jaw completely. Thinking about it, I felt pretty lucky myself; that would've added a whole other set of problems to deal with.

I took off my hat and ran a hand through my hair. It was almost morning, I knew, and I was glad that gramps had given me a few weeks off to take care of Cassandra or I would've been in for one hell of a day at work. I would still be tired all day, but at least I wouldn't be physically straining myself on top of it all.

Thinking about what had happened, I had to admit to myself that it was nice to have someone sleep with me. I would never say it out loud, of course, and besides, I probably only felt that way because I felt so damn alone since Mary wouldn't see me anymore. That had to be it.

I also had to admit to myself that Cassandra wasn't quite as childish as I'd thought she'd be. Granted, she could still be childish - she was friends with Kai, after all - but not like Popuri. As a matter of fact, they didn't seem to be as close as Popuri had made them out to be. She had only spoken to the pink-haired girl on occasion before her accident, and would even less now that she was injured.

Thinking of Cassandra's friends caused me to think of Joe. He was... different, but he reminded me of Kai, inevitably. They had the same high-spirited personality that annoyed me to no end. Joe, in particular, was excruciatingly aggravating. He seemed too clingy, like he demanded all of Cassandra's attention. I didn't like him at all. It probably seemed unreasonable, as he hadn't exactly done anything to me, but I felt my temper flare just thinking about the man.

After thoughts of him receded, I had no idea what to do. Looking at the clock, I noted it was a little after five. Since I had nothing better to do, I got up, got dressed, and went for a walk like I did every morning. I walked with my hands shoved in my jacket pockets, the air cool in the early morning. There was a streetlight just outside and I took a left, heading toward the plaza like I did every morning.

Just as I passed out of the ring of light made by the streetlamp, I thought I saw a figure slip into the shadows. I stared in its general direction, slowing to a halt for a moment. After seeing nothing else, I decided to keep going. I arrived in Rose Plaza shortly after, and walked over to the bulletin board to examine it pointlessly, also as I had every morning for as long as I could remember. Rarely did it ever say anything new; I supposed I just did so out of habit.

I zoned out as I stared at the board, reading the words but not comprehending them. Then, suddenly, the light was blocked. I looked up, startled, and spun around, and saw none other than Joe himself. He looked nervous, wringing his hands and refusing to make eye contact. I glared at him from under my hat, waiting for him to say something. He inhaled deeply and stopped fidgeting, standing up straight, and almost jumped when he realized that I'd noticed him. His jaw tightened as he ground his teeth together.

"Gray, I want you to annul the marriage with Cassie," he said. I stared at him for a second before laughing bitterly. He glowered at me. "I'm serious." I smirked at him, though I wasn't sure if he could see my expression underneath my hat in the darkness.

"I know," I said. I wanted to annul the marriage too. I couldn't. It brought me some dark pleasure in seeing that someone else was suffering from this just as much as I was. He seemed frustrated.

"Look, you obviously aren't happy with her so why don't you just let her live her own life?" Joe said, growing angry. I could have told him that I didn't want to get married either, that I couldn't stop the wedding even if I'd wanted to, but instead I felt the need to continue this torture.

"Don't you think that if she wanted you, she would have annulled it herself?" I said, looking at him seriously. He looked like he was about to protest, but I cut him off. "Or that she would have kicked you out of her room? I have to say that doesn't seem like she likes you very much."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Joe snapped, stepping closer to me. I was almost as tall as he was, and I could tell he didn't see me as much of a threat. "She would... she would love me, if only you weren't in the way..." He seemed just as embarrassed as I was surprised at the comment, and he snarled at himself after a shocked moment of silence. My temper flared at the implication that she couldn't love me, that she was only with me because she had to be. Even if it was true.

"You really believe that?" I said, snapping at him. He looked up, shocked that I would say such a thing. I was almost as shocked as he was but I wouldn't show it. "Whatever gets you to sleep at night."

Suddenly I felt something smack up against my jaw, and for a few long, tense seconds, I just stared at Joe in stunned silence as he glared at me angrily, his hand still in a fist. After my brain finally processed what had happened, I lunged at him, and he wasn't ready for my sudden rush despite its inevitability, and I jumped on top of him, knocking him to the ground. I only got a few good swings in before he threw me off, sending me rolling across the stones of the plaza. I scrambled to my feet at the same time he did, and immediately we were throwing punches at each other. I finally managed to punch him in the stomach, causing him to double over, gaining a moment to take a breather while he recovered.

Once he did, he swung at me again, his knuckles smashing into my temple. I lost my balance and stumbled, and my vision went white for a second. I heard Joe hiss in pain, and once my vision cleared I looked up to see that his knuckles were split. I reached up and touched the soft spot where he'd just hit me, and when I pulled my hand away it had blood on it. How was it possible for him to hit me that hard? It occurred to me that it could've been his blood, but I couldn't be sure just then. Our eyes locked, but we were both tired and sore now, and for a moment, it was almost as if we had a connection, where we both understood that the fight was over, and that it had been pointless to start with.

The sun was starting to rise by now, and I gave Joe a sharp glare that told him not to go to the Inn just then. I searched around for my fallen hat and scooped it up, keeping an eye on Joe, and spit some blood out of my mouth before shoving it back on my head, a bit too forcefully. Joe stared at the ground, looking ashamed of himself, cradling his bleeding knuckles. He glanced up at me once before heading in the opposite direction, and I wearily went back to the Inn.

---

"Gray?!" Cassandra exclaimed as I entered the room. She wore a worried expression that only intensified as she got a better look at me. She pushed herself up, forgetting her own pain and gaping at me in an openly shocked expression that I'd never seen on her before. I raised my brows at her, slightly amused, but I rushed over to her when she tried to get up.

"What happened to you?" she asked frantically. I put my hand on her shoulder to keep her down, and stood awkwardly. I could completely trash Joe's friendship with her right now, I knew. But I knew that would not only upset Joe, but it would destroy Cassandra.

"I got in a fight with Joe," I muttered. She furrowed her brows, hiding most of her shock pretty well. "It was my fault, I lost my temper. Sorry." At that she looked even more shocked, and then worried that I'd ever do such a thing. "He kicked my ass." All this lying for Joe's sake was causing me to grit my teeth, but Cassandra was having enough of a rough time as it was, and I, for some reason, didn't want to make it worse. Her gaze softened and she almost laughed at that, but she managed to restrain herself.

"I'll have to talk to him about that," she commented. I shrugged indifferently. I moved to go to the bathroom to clean myself up, but she stopped me, leaning over the side of the bed and into her suitcase. She pulled out what looked like a handkerchief, and I frowned. "Come here."

"I'll handle it, I -" I started, but she interrupted.

"No, you've been kind enough to take care of me while I've been injured, please let me help." The look she gave me, one that was pleading but also commanding, refused to let me say no. With a sigh, I took off my hat and placed it on her night stand, and then sat down on her bed. She pushed herself up against her headboard to keep her sitting, and if it hurt her it didn't show on her face. She frowned thoughtfully, dabbing my temple with the handkerchief, and I couldn't help but feel bad for letting her ruin it.

"That's odd," she said, mostly to herself. "There doesn't seem to be a cut or anything here..." I didn't say anything, though she confirmed my belief that it had been Joe's blood. She furrowed her brows, probably realizing the same thing, but she didn't voice as much.

With a mumbled thank you, I stood and made my way to the shower. That had been, surprisingly enough, my first fistfight, and I had never realized before exactly how they left you feeling. My ribs were sore, and when I took off my shirt I saw bruises forming. My temple was starting to bruise as well, and my lip was cut. Soon leftover blood pooled in the bottom of the shower, and I thought maybe it had been matted in my hair. Eventually I cleaned myself up and walked back into the main room, where Cassandra sat on her bed looking somewhat bored. She smiled at me when I came in, a small, delicate gesture that soon turned embarrassed as her stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" I asked, amusement showing on my face. She nodded shyly, and with a little work - and Ann to help her change - we were finally on our way downstairs for breakfast together.


	17. Chapter 16

Breakfast was more awkward than I thought it would be. I tried to keep up conversation but Gray only answered with grunts and nods. He kept his face downcast, his hat covering most of his expression. After a while I gave up and we ate mostly in silence.

"Listen," Gray said, causing me to jump slightly. He surprised me after being silent for so long. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, you don't have to be sorry," I said uncertainly. "It takes two to tango, so they say. I know the fight couldn't have been entirely your fault-"

"Not that," he interrupted. "Well… yeah for that too but that's not what I'm talking about." He turned his head away. "I meant… for what I said the first day you got here. I'm sorry." I tried not to stare, concentrating on keeping my mouth closed (it was rude to gape at people, after all), and tried to think of something to say.

"It's alright-"

"No, it isn't. You didn't do anything wrong. I was mad because..." he trailed off, probably thinking about Mary. But then, as far as he knew, I didn't know about her or that he really liked her or that he hadn't known about our engagement. "Because Gramps didn't bother telling me about you until a few weeks before you got here. So I had a grudge, like you'd charged in on my life… but it isn't your fault." To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

"Gray, I-"

"Cassie!" Slightly irritated, I turned toward the source of the call to find my brother, running over to us from the inn's doors. My train of thought completely derailed, I quirked a brow at him. He stopped right next to me, kneeling down and supporting himself with his hands on his knees.

"Yes?" I asked. "Is there something you need?" He looked up at me, pouting; his 'don't talk to me like that' face. I felt accomplished for getting to him. Serves him right for scattering my thoughts…

"I need to talk to you for a second." His gaze did not stray from mine, but it was clear that he meant 'alone'. Gray tactfully dismissed himself 'to pay the tab' and made his way over to the bar, where Ann was.

"Is this important?" I said with a huff. Carl looked indignantly at me.

"Would I have interrupted your _date_ if it wasn't?" he said, causing me to blush. "Yeah, apparently your hubby chased off Joe. He's leaving tonight." I was stunned.

"Already? Is this because," - I lowered my voice - "because of the fight?" Carl chuckled at me.

"You act like it's some big secret. Your man candy is walking around covered in bruises. And so is Gray, I noticed." I narrowed my eyes at his implications. He grinned at me. "In any case, you should go and see him before he leaves. I don't think he can quite face up to you right now."

"Why not? Gray told me that the fight was his fault." Carl raised a brow but didn't comment.

"Just do it," he said with a dramatic sigh.

"Fine," I agreed. Carl grinned at me.

"His boat is leaving at four. Don't be late!" With that, he dashed back out of the inn as quickly as he had appeared. At least there was one thing I could count on no matter where I went, and that was my brother's hyperactivity.

"What was that all about?" Gray said as he sat back down beside me. He immediately turned red. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry…" I smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it. Carl was just telling me that Joe is leaving tonight," I explained, although, admittedly, it was weird to talk to Gray about such things. He didn't respond, just grunted and took a sip of his water.

"Mm," was the only response, so I dropped the subject.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" I asked, realizing that I'd been cooped up for a while. Gray looked up at me, his eyes growing a little wide, before he looked away.

"You aren't supposed to be on your leg that much," he grumbled. "Doctor's orders…" I chuckled at his awkwardness, causing him to look up uncertainly.

"Yes, you're right. But that isn't stopping me from going to the beach tonight to see Joe off," I commented. If my brother had been there, he'd have recognized that I was going to be stubborn on the subject. I wasn't sure if Gray did, or if he just didn't feel like arguing, but he let the subject slide and, once we were finished eating, he helped me to my room.

* * *

Lying in bed, completely awake with nothing to do, was torture. I tried reading, doodling, counting floorboards, but nothing could ease my want to simply get out of bed and walk around. Or maybe run around. Was this what cabin fever was like?

Gray seemed perfectly content. He read for a while before dozing off, and when he woke up again he seemed embarrassed that he'd fallen asleep. I wondered if this was what he normally did when he had the day off.

Needless to say, I thought it was a blessing from the Harvest Goddess when Carl and Ann came to visit me, bringing along a stack of board games to play. Gray took this as an opportunity to dismiss himself, though where he went I couldn't begin to guess.

"What do you want to play, Cassie?" Carl asked, smiling in a ridiculous manner.

"We should play something that takes a long time," Ann commented.

"Good idea!" Carl agreed, grinning.

"But I will be leaving to tell Joe goodbye soon," I said.

"That's the point," Carl said. "This way you can't win!" He and Ann laughed and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"If that's the way you want it, then let's play Scrabble," I offered. Carl groaned.

"Come on, you know I can't beat you at Scrabble!" he whined.

"But Scrabble usually takes a while, so maybe I'll have to leave before you can lose," I teased, a slight smile on my face.

"What am I, chopped liver? I can beat you both!" Ann exclaimed, earning a bout of laughter from my brother.

"Oh, this ought to be good. Scrabble it is, then!" Carl managed to say. Ann scowled, retrieved a table and set it up next to my bed and the game was underway.

Needless to say, I won. Mother always wanted me to improve my vocabulary, so I silently thanked her for the small pleasure of winning. I was glad I was able to spend some time with Carl and Ann as well, of course, but victory was icing on the cake. With a chuckle, I informed them that it was time for me to leave; I had only managed to win the game a few minutes before I had planned on heading for the docks. After Ann helped me get ready, the two walked me downstairs. Carl offered to walk me to the beach, but I thought that it would be awkward and told him I would go by myself. And so I was off.

The walk was rather uneventful, and I made it to the beach with only some minor trouble going down the stairs that led to the plaza. I managed to make it halfway to the pier before Joe noticed me and ran over to me happily.

"Cass! I had thought you wouldn't be coming," he said somewhat awkwardly. I smiled at him, leaning on my right crutch to give my good leg a little break.

"Of course I would. You are my best friend," I said nonchalantly as I could. I offered a small smile before Joe enveloped me in a hug, mindful of my leg.

"I'm glad. I thought you were mad at me," he said, his voice muffled from my hair. I forced myself to remain passive.

"Come with me," Joe said suddenly, pulling away and holding me at arm's length. "We don't have to go back to our village; we can go wherever we want! We can run away from all this!"

"Run away from what?" I asked tentatively. Joe frowned.

"From your marriage, from this town, and from these people! Nothing good has come from you living here!" Well I couldn't argue with that. "Come with me, please?" I was silent for a moment, though I wasn't considering his proposition. I simply couldn't leave. My parents would be devastated, and I would never be able to see my friends and family again. I lifted my chin, working up the confidence to voice my thoughts.

Before I could respond, however, Joe managed to maneuver himself so that his mouth covered mine, rendering me incapable. My brain processed this rather slowly, and for a few long moments I didn't do anything. Joe was _kissing_ me. With a little bit of trouble, I pushed Joe off of me, resulting in me gasping in pain and stumbling into the sand, having put too much weight on my bad leg. All I could do was stare at Joe in disbelief, and his expression mirrored mine.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he began, bending down to help me up. I slapped his hand away, tears streaming down my face.

"Just go!" I yelled, in a rare moment where I lost all self-control. "Why couldn't you just let things stay the way they were? Why did you have to ruin everything!" I pulled up my good knee and rested my forehead against it. Now there was no way we could be friends. I knew that from then on it would be too awkward; and besides, he had assumed things about me that he shouldn't have. If only he could have been content with us staying friends…

"Cassie…"

"GO!" With that, I heard Joe leave me in the sand, my crutches fallen beside me. I don't know how long I sat like that, crying, before I heard someone approach me.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" I sobbed, the fire of my rage mostly dissipated.

"I'm not one to ignore a damsel in distress." I blinked up at none other than Kai, who had knelt down next to me and was offering one of his charming smiles. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He helped me to my feet and brought me inside.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Uh, I edited stuff because there were inconsistencies and a few things I didn't like. I haven't gotten around to posting a new chapter in forever... but I'm working on chapter 17 (This one is gonna be a doozy...). Coincidentally, I already pretty much know what's going to happen in 18 so it shouldn't be long after that.

I'm really sorry about lack of updates. -.-' I'll make it up, I promise!


	18. Chapter 17

Any sane person who entered the mine would have been worried. Hell, I would have been worried, and I'm … well, me. Boulders were broken everywhere, not a single one left intact. The ores that had been housed inside still lay scattered across the floor, near where they had been found. And then there was me, the culprit of this mess, sitting in the darkest corner I could find, my jacket slung to the side with my hammer.

You could say that this was my way of venting. I was sweating ferociously and just about too tired to move. I had stormed in here and smashed the stones with all the strength I could muster instead of conserving energy like normal. Why?

To put it simply, I was furious. How was I supposed to feel? I had just seen my fiancé kissing some guy on the beach. Any guy would have reacted the same way.

What was worse was that I had even started _crying_. I never cried! I couldn't control myself. I felt so worthless and cheated. If there was any sort of Goddess then she sure loved screwing with my life.

Once I pulled myself together, I couldn't even find the willpower to gather all the ores. Whoever went in after me would appreciate it, at least. I stood with a rather large sigh and slung my jacket over my shoulder, my hammer loosely held in my free hand. I went straight to the Inn, hoping that I wouldn't have to see anyone on the way there, particularly not Cassie, or Ann, or Kai.

But as always, nothing could go my way.

"Hi, Gray!" Ann said in her annoyingly cheerful manner. Then she eyed me up and down, crinkling her nose. "You reek," she added. I glared at her.

"Yeah, I just came from the mine," I told her. She gave me a quizzical look.

"I thought you didn't have to work?" she asked. I shrugged and she let the subject drop, but I didn't miss the brief look of concern she gave me. I felt my temper flare but decided that a shower seemed more important than arguing with Ann, so I went upstairs, grumbling to myself irritably. Surprisingly, she didn't follow me and bug me like she normally did, but that just made me think she was up to something.

Dismissing the thought, I remembered that my stuff was in the other room. But now that Joe was gone, I could go back to my own room. With only a moment's hesitation, I went into the spare bedroom, surprised and relieved that Cassandra hadn't returned yet. I gathered my belongings and dumped them onto my own bed before taking a much-needed shower.

After my shower I collapsed on my bed, sore and aching from all of the work I'd done that day, not to mention the earlier fight with Joe. I remembered that I hadn't slept very well the night before, but I wasn't tired. Well, physically I was tired as hell, but mentally I was too angry to be tired.

Mulling over the day's events, I guess I could say that the part that made me the most upset was that no matter what I did, I couldn't keep a woman. Mary had easily moved on, as far as I could tell, and Cassandra was stuck on her childhood crush. Maybe now that he was gone, Kai would move in on her, too. He seemed to have all of the women in this damned place wrapped around his finger, with the only exception being Ann. And that was probably because she was too hooked on a certain other roommate of mine.

I scowled. Even Cliff could get a girl to like him.

Maybe I needed to get out of this town. If there were more people, maybe I could actually find a girl who would like me.

I scoffed. It was too late for that. Gramps would never let me leave, and if I ran off, Dad would find me. I never got away with anything as a kid. Once I got so fed up with all his shit that I ran away from home, and even though I'd thought I'd gotten a good distance away and had gone somewhere unexpected, he still managed to find me and whoop my ass. And as a grown man, there was still something about my father that kept me in line. I think it was the fact that he was a crazy bastard. He'd probably kill me before he'd let me do something he didn't like.

My eyes flicked to the door as I heard it open, and I saw Cliff peek in. He was surprised to see me there, it seemed, and he stepped in, staring wide-eyed.

"Hi, Gray," he said. "Good to have you back."

I grunted in return, running a hand through my damp hair and thinking that I needed a haircut. He watched me carefully, frowning when he saw the bruises on my face. He looked like he wanted to ask me something, and I had a feeling I knew what it was. I wanted to knock the question right out of him.

"Why aren't you still in Cassie's room?"

Dammit. I wasn't fast enough. My temper flared, along with all of the emotions from earlier – failure and betrayal, namely.

"That was temporary," I growled at him. "And it didn't matter anyway. I should have just left her ass in there with Joe."

That earned me a frown from the younger man, disapproval evident in his face.

"Is this about the fight?" he asked, sitting on his bed and reminding me of a mother talking to her teenage daughter in one of those stupid teen movies. I slung my legs over the bed. I didn't want to be treated like some angsty teenager.

"No, it's not about that damn fight," I snapped at him. It was almost degrading, knowing that he thought I would get upset over something so stupid. He studied me for a moment, letting the subject drop. I almost wished he hadn't; I was ready to argue with someone, and it didn't matter who.

"What happened today? You're upset," Cliff observed. Leave it to him to pick up something like that. It occurred to me that Ann had probably mentioned something to him. Those two, along with Kai, could see right through me. I scowled at the thought.

There wasn't even any use arguing with him. He was staring intently at me, giving me that look that he does when he's going to be stubborn. But then again, I was in the mood to argue.

"I'm not!" I bit back defensively, glaring at him. He sighed.

"Gray, I know you well enough that I know this isn't you having a bad day," he said. "This is worse than when Cassie got here."

"Aren't you Mister Insightful?" I snapped. He raised a brow at me expectantly. I still didn't respond.

"What was going on last night?" Cliff asked, changing the subject. I stared at him for a moment, trying to remember what he was talking about. I could feel my face heat as I remembered, and I grabbed my hat from where I'd discarded it before my shower, covering my face the best I could, irritated at Cliff's poorly hidden smirk.

"Nothing!" I snarled. He was starting to enjoy himself.

"That's not what I saw," Cliff teased, brown eyes twinkling in amusement.

"She said she was having nightmares," I grumbled, still embarrassed.

"Sure," he said, smile spreading across his face in a cocky grin.

"Then why don't you ask her about it?" I told him, narrowing my eyes at him. Sure, I'd wanted to argue but I'd forgotten how good Cliff was at messing with me. I remembered when he and Kai relied on my competitiveness to get me to go over to visit Cassandra in the first place, when she'd been asking Joe to leave. The thought left me with even more of a scowl than usual. He chuckled at me.

"Look, why don't you just tell me what's up before Kai gets here?" Cliff said, trying and failing again to hide his smile. But he made an excellent point. I didn't want to have to be the one to explain this to Kai.

"You'd be upset too, if your fiancé cheated on you," I growled, crossing my arms and looking away. I could imagine the look on Cliff's face in the stunned silence.

"What?" he sputtered. I glanced at him. He didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept. "With who? Cassie would never… would she?" He seemed frantic. I sighed.

"Joe, dumbass. She did a good job tricking us, huh?" I said bitterly. Cliff's mouth formed a thin line. He still didn't seem to believe it, but he knew I didn't make stuff like this up.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation…" Cliff said with a frown.

"A good reason for making out with your friend on the beach while engaged to someone else? I sure as hell can't think of one," I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. Of course he would give Cassandra the benefit of the doubt. And I knew exactly what he was going to say next.

"Maybe you should talk to her."

I rolled my eyes. Predictable.

"What am I supposed to do? Waltz in and say 'sorry to bother you, but I saw you and Joe swapping spit and I demand an explanation'?"

Cliff stared at me for a moment before he chuckled, making my anger flare again.

"What's so funny?" I demanded. He shook his head.

"Nothing, you just say odd things sometimes," he said, offering a tentative smile. Odd? I thought everything I said made a lot of sense, thanks very much.

Then we heard footsteps in the hallway, along with steady _thuds_ that were probably made from someone on crutches. I felt my lips curl into a snarl. And Cliff had been doing such a good job getting me into a better mood, too.

We heard voices in the spare room, and then our door opened. Kai stood in the doorway a thoughtful expression on his face. It was almost startling to see him not acting melodramatic. Then he noticed that we were there and he beamed. Well, the idiocy hiatus couldn't last forever, I supposed.

"Hey roomies!" he said, sauntering in like usual. I glared daggers at him, but Cliff offered him a small, nervous smile. I wanted to tell Cliff to stop being so obvious or Kai would know something was up. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. "How's it hanging?"

At that, Cliff and I exchanged a glance.

"Uh, are you sure you didn't suffer head trauma from the accident?" Cliff asked. I scoffed, smirking smugly at Kai, who frowned at the usually-passive man who had issued the insult.

"You wound me, Cliff," Kai replied, putting a hand over his heart. He still wore a band-aid on his cheek, his right hand wrapped. He hadn't bothered to put the bandages that had been wrapped around his torso on, I noticed, briefly thinking that the cuts on his back must not have hurt that much. Cliff offered a grin and a shrug in response. Kai turned to me, pouting.

"Look what you've done! You've corrupted poor, innocent Cliff with your hurtful way of addressing people," Kai said.

"Maybe you just deserve it," I said in response. He stared wide eyed at me, taking a step back and clutching at his heart again. No, there was no shortage of idiocy here.

"What did I do to you two?" Kai asked, looking back and forth between Cliff and me, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Did you have to do anything?" I told him, earning a baleful look as he walked to his bed, slouched over and altogether pathetic-looking. This was great. After having such a crappy day, picking on Kai really brightened my mood.

But it was about to come crashing back down.

"I just brought Cassie home," Kai said, sparing me a glance that said maybe he knew more than he let on. For some reason, that's just what I thought about Kai. He acted like a complete idiot but really he was a manipulative bastard.

"So?" I snapped, earning a startled look from Kai and a frown from Cliff. Kai raised his arms in a surrendering gesture.

"Geez, I thought maybe you wanted to go talk to her. Try not to bite my head off," he said, a lopsided grin on his face. After glaring for a moment, I felt my stomach rumbling and I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and all of the physical exertion at the mine had taken its toll on me. I was starving.

I stood, my legs protesting the weight as a stretched my back.

"I feel like an old man," I mumbled to myself, rubbing a particularly sore muscle in my lower back. "I'm going to eat."

"I'll come with you," Cliff said, looking a little panicked about staying with Kai by himself. Kai pouted.

"But I just got here! And I already ate!" he whined.

"That's too bad," I told him with a glare.

With that, Cliff and I made our way downstairs for a hopefully peaceful dinner.

**Author's note: ***chuckles* oh Gray, you shouldn't think things like that. It's almost like jinxing yourself.

Um, hi… Happy New Year? ^.^' Yeah, I disappeared for nearly six months, it looks like… I'm very sorry, but here's chapter 17 in any case.

I think I've been writing too much Gears fiction, because I started writing Gray like a cross between Marcus and Baird. O.o But I'm working hard to keep him true to his own character… Oh, and I really love Kai. He's so fun to write. :D

I hope you liked it. :3


	19. Chapter 18

For the first time in my life, I would really liked to have been able to pace.

Mother had always said not to, and it wasn't something I was particularly inclined toward, but I was so nervous as I stood near the bed, leaning on the wall, that I could have really used the release of extra energy.

Instead I watched the door, listening for clues that Kai was coming back and we could go talk to Gray. I could hear voices coming from their room, Kai's dramatic baritone being the loudest. Occasionally I could hear Gray's voice, barely audible through the wall. I couldn't understand what they were saying, either, which made me all the more anxious.

Soon I heard the door open and close, followed by footsteps passing the door and going downstairs. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding when Kai came in.

"Well, Princess," he started, and I almost furrowed my brow at the nickname. Was he making fun of me? I remembered being called that once before, although I couldn't remember exactly when.

"Gray seems to be in a worse mood than usual, but as I said earlier, the sooner you tell him, the better. Wouldn't want him to think you're hiding anything, right?" he continued, grinning at me knowingly. My gaze fell to the floor. It was just my luck that something had happened to put him in a bad mood when I had something important to tell him.

"Hey," Kai said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, trying to keep my face as blank as possible. "It'll be fine. Let's go."

I couldn't help but be startled at his seriousness, despite his small smile, because it _was_ Kai I was talking to. Regardless, I grabbed my crutches and followed after him as he turned to leave.

Once we finally reached the ground floor, it was easy to find Gray. He was sitting at the table with Cliff, apparently waiting for Ann to serve them their dinner. It was early evening, so the Inn wasn't very crowded at the moment. I hoped Gray would come with me to somewhere more private to talk, nonetheless. I didn't want this to get out to the villagers, even if it wasn't my fault.

I kept any hint of nervousness off my face, trying to follow Kai as best I could and attempting to look natural in the process. I caught Gray staring at us as we made our way over but he quickly diverted his attention, his back tensing as he did so. Kai hadn't been entirely correct in his earlier assessment of Gray's mood, though. Gray was in a terrible mood. This couldn't possibly end well.

"Kai," I said, trying to get his attention so that maybe we could call it off. It seemed he was too far ahead to hear me, though, and he approached the table looking only slightly less cheeky than usual.

"Hey guys," Kai said, grinning at his roommates. "Mind if we join you?"

As I hobbled up next to Kai, I saw Gray shoot him a look that plainly said he _did_ mind, and that he minded quite a lot, but if Kai noticed he didn't show it. Cliff looked between Gray and Kai, probably trying to decide if he should decline. Not that it mattered; Kai had already pulled out a chair and sat down, casting me a glance that I understood all too well.

_What are you waiting for?_

I didn't think this was a good time. I was positive that this wasn't a good time. But I was here now, and if I didn't say anything Gray would think I was hiding it for sure. He wouldn't even look at me anymore. He was staring at the table, and I couldn't see his face under his hat. Moving a little closer to him, I took a mental deep breath and tried to steel my nerves for what was to come.

"Gray, could I talk to you for a moment?" I asked.

"No."

I couldn't hide my shock at the answer. I hadn't expected that at all. I glanced at Kai, wondering what to do, but he was too busy staring openly at Gray.

"Um, I'm sorry?" I finally managed, unable to come up with anything better to say.

"I said no," Gray growled at me. "I don't want to talk to you."

Kai still hadn't said anything, and Cliff was staring down at his lap, his face red. I wasn't one to push, so I was about to back off and probably go back to my room, but Kai decided he should step in.

"Why not?" he blurted, disbelief still spread on his face. Gray startled me into almost stumbling over when he stood, slamming his fists on the table loudly and glaring at Kai.

"Do you know what she did?" he yelled. I felt my face heating as he attracted the attention of the other customers. "She cheated on me! I don't have to talk to her, and I won't forgive her!"

So he had already known about Joe. His words bit at me, hurting a lot more than I thought they should have, and my gaze fell to the floor. I could feel my face heating and tears welling up, trying to break free. I pushed them back down.

"Hold on a second," I heard Kai say, in a much calmer voice. "You don't know that!"

"I do," Gray grumbled. "I saw it!"

I looked up at him in shock, Kai's face mirroring my own. I was grateful he hadn't yelled that last part, as the other patrons seemed to have their eyes glued on us now. Kai crossed his arms, furrowing his brows in what was probably the closest to angry I'd ever seen him.

"Hold on, you can't go throwing accusations around here like it's nothing," Kai told him, loud enough for the rest of the Inn to hear. I wondered briefly if he was trying to save my reputation. He lowered his voice, leaning in toward Gray and saying something I didn't quite catch. Gray's eyes widened momentarily before he snarled, pushing his chair back and advancing on Kai.

"You don't have any idea what it's like!" he growled, his voice growing louder as he went on. "You don't know anything! Stay out of my business!" He looked like he wanted to say more, but then he just scowled at himself, turning away from the both of us and clenching his fists at his sides. Then he suddenly turned on Kai again.

"Go to hell!" he yelled. He glanced in my direction, his icy cold eyes making me feel like I'd frozen. Why was he looking at me like that? With such… hatred? "And take her with you!"

I felt my heart grow cold.

With that, he stormed upstairs, and all was silent until we heard Gray's door slam shut. Kai sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides. I felt like bursting into tears. Gray's words had cut deep, and by the looks of it he'd even shaken Kai.

"Come on," Kai said. "Let's get you back to your room."

I just nodded, unable to bring myself to say anything.

* * *

I watched as Kai sat on the bed across from mine, sinking into it and running his hand down his face. He looked physically exhausted, but his mind was still working hard to come up with a solution to this. All I could feel was a void, and all I could think about was the disappointment that I would cause my parents. I couldn't believe I'd failed so miserably.

Who was I kidding, anyway? I had hoped to come here and meet my fiancé and instantly get along with him, then go on to live happily ever after. What a foolish notion. I was such a child. Those were fairy tales.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that Joe was right. I wouldn't be happy like this. It was impossible.

But what did it matter? It had never been for me. I had just wanted to make my parents proud, and I couldn't even do that properly. What was left?

I was startled out of my thoughts by Kai sitting up suddenly.

"I have an idea!" he said. I looked at him blankly, but he didn't seem to notice as he tapped his chin thoughtfully, nodding to himself. When he turned to me, his excited smile turned into a frown.

"Hey, don't give me that look. It's creepy," he said. I felt one of my eyebrows raise a fraction on instinct. I hadn't really been looking at him like anything… which was probably the most unsettling part. Carl didn't like it either. He always said it was like I was putting up a 'mask' and hiding from the world, like I had no emotions. For people like him and Kai, who were overdramatic and practically lived on emotions, I supposed it would be upsetting.

"Well, anyway," Kai continued, looking marginally pleased with himself. "I'll be right back. Stay here, mmk?" He practically sang the last part and then was out the door in a flash. I hadn't even agreed to this… what was he going to do anyway? He'd likely only succeed in making Gray angrier.

I wondered what I was going to do now. I couldn't talk to Carl, even though that was probably what I wanted to do most just then, and Joe was absolutely out of the question. I tried to think of someone who would understand, who could make things better, but I came up with nothing.

That was when I snapped. It was over for me. There was no way Kai could fix this.

I lay down in my bed, burying my face in my pillow as I started to cry.

It was some time before Kai returned, and when he had, I had been all out of tears. I felt dead inside, like I had become a shell. I kept my expression carefully neutral.

"That took longer than I thought," Kai commented as he walked in, stretching his back and grinning at me. He frowned when I didn't respond, but he didn't say anything this time. He hummed to himself as he strolled over to the bed, stretching out on it and then putting his hands behind his head, still humming happily to himself. I couldn't help but feel curious, but he didn't offer up any information. I waited and waited, but still he didn't say anything.

"Well?" I finally asked, albeit somewhat rudely. I was slightly irritated that he wasn't offering to tell me on his own. He looked up at me and grinned again.

"Don't fret," he said. "My plan is in motion."

I frowned thoughtfully.

"… What do we do now?" I asked. He grinned at me once again.

"Now we wait."

* * *

**Author's Note: **This came out longer than expected… ah well. I'm just glad that I didn't take forever to update as usual… haha…

Hope you liked it~


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